


Consuming Love

by Numtwelve



Series: True Love [2]
Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Cheating, Companion Piece, Divorce, Edward POV, F/M, Love, just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:34:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27596918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Numtwelve/pseuds/Numtwelve
Summary: Companion piece to Inappropriate Love (Please read that first!) Edward and Bella, both married to other people, are partners being separated due to an org change. Feelings come out, lemons ensue. But what happens when reality sets in? Can they be together? All Edward POV!
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Series: True Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017562
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again friends! Please make sure you read “Inappropriate Love” before you read this! I will make much more sense, I promise! Anyway, enjoy Edward’s POV this time. More at the bottom!

Chapter 1 – EPOV 

  


“I’ll be right back,” I said to Bella, picking up our empty coffee cups and walking out of the conference room. I tossed them in the garbage in the breakroom, pulling out new cups and sticking them under the coffee maker and throwing in a kcup. 

  


Waiting for the coffee to brew for both of us gave me a few minutes to think. I was really dreading what I had to tell Bella, so I needed to really think through the words I was going to use. There really was no easy way to say this. The last two years working with her had been amazing – and while I was happy about the opportunity I was being given, I would really miss working with her. 

  


When Marcus had offered me a manager position under him, I had been floored. Ironically, though, the first thing that came to my mind was where would Bella go. He smiled saying that she would be reporting to Rose, who was also being promoted. While I was happy to hear that for Rose’s sake, I was sad that she wasn’t coming with me. 

  


It had taken me a week to accept the offer. Marcus and I had known each other for some time, and he had been gracious to allow me time to consider everything. I hadn’t discussed it with Kate at all; I knew what her response would be. If I would bring us more money then I should take it. That was always what concerned her most. 

  


I sighed, grabbing the coffee cup and went back to the conference room. I opted to just get Bella coffee and not myself; though I was tired, I knew that I wouldn’t sleep if I had coffee this late at night. I sat the coffee down in front of her, saying, “Here.” 

  


She smiled at me, looking as tired as I felt. “Thanks,” she said quietly, suppressing a yawn. “Going to have a hell of a time sleeping tonight, so I may as well enjoy some coffee while I’m at it.” 

  


I laughed; the fact that she and I thought so similarly still amused me. I sat back down next to her, pretending to work on the presentation, knowing that I really couldn’t wait any longer to tell her. She would start reporting to Rose next week; I had asked that I be the one to tell her, and Rose and Marcus had agreed – but only if I told her this week. 

  


She reacted as I expected her to, and I really couldn’t blame her. As I held her hand and gave her the bad news, staring into her eyes. For the last two years I had kept myself in check with Bella, but at this moment, with her face looking so sad, I couldn’t do it any longer. 

  


“Can I say something?” 

  


She snorted, rolling her eyes at me. “Of course.” 

  


“Well, maybe ‘say something’ is wrong. Can I do something?” I swallowed thickly, unsure of what her reaction was going to be. I had to do it. I had to know if all of these feelings that I had for her would amount to anything. I had thought of virtually nothing other than her for the last two damn years – I had to know if she felt the same way. 

  


She waved her hand at me, indicating for me to go ahead, and I seized my opportunity. I grabbed her, pulling her close to me, pushing my lips against hers. I almost sighed audibly at the contact, as the feeling of rightness swirled around me. She threw her arms around me and I moaned, trying desperately to get even closer to her. I lifted her up, pushing everything on the table back, setting her down; keeping my lips pressed tightly to hers. My eyes were exploding in sensation with her this close, and I was harder than I'd ever remembered being before. I moved away from her mouth so that we could both catch our breath. 

  


“Edward,” she moaned quietly, pushing against me. “I need...more.” 

  


With my lips on her neck, I asked her to be patient. Her skin tasted like a combination of cinnamon and sugar, at least to me. It was a combination that went straight to my dick, making it strain against my pants painfully. 

  


“Did I say that out loud?” she laughed. The laugh broke my concentration, and made me pause. I didn’t want to pause, I didn’t want to stop...but, I needed to know if she wanted this, too. 

  


“I’m not sure why I did that,” I lied, not wanting her to really know what was going on in my mind yet. If she wanted this – me – then I would tell her the truth. I needed to give her the opportunity to say no, if that’s what she really wanted. Kissing was one thing; what I wanted was so much more. 

  


Her eyes danced when she made a joke about fucking. God, I was going to have to do something tonight. My dick was going to start hammering its way through my pants in a minute if I didn’t. I started kissing her again, trying to tell her with every touch of my lips what I wanted, and how I felt about her. 

  


When she suggested that we go back to her hotel I wanted to jump in my car and race her there, but for just a moment, I thought about Kate. I thought about the promises I made her when we got married. That fraction of a second was enough to cause doubt for Bella. 

  


“Listen, we don’t have to do anything. It may be too much for both of us, given our situations.” 

  


I opted to tell her part of the truth – how much I wanted her, and for how long. I couldn’t tell her that I was fairly certain that I was in love with her already. There was no way I could do that without scaring her, I was sure of that. Thankfully, I realized that we were both on the same page. When she asked me a second time to go to her hotel, I didn’t even hesitate. 

  


As I followed her to her hotel, I called Kate. I needed the night, I knew that. I had to give this a real try, to see if she could feel for me what I did already for her. Which meant that I couldn’t just have a quickie in her hotel and go back home. 

  


“Hey, Edward. When are you coming home? I’m bored,” Kate whined into the phone. 

  


“Katie, I'm sorry, but it’s going to be a few more hours.” I swerved in traffic to stay right behind Bella. 

  


“A few more hours?” she practically shrieked. “I’m planning on going to bed soon, Edward! If you wake me up when you come home, I won’t be able to get back to sleep!” 

  


“I was thinking of just getting a hotel room near the office. I can come home first thing in the morning to change before going into the office. That way, I don’t wake you up.” 

  


She sniffed, clearly unhappy with the arrangement. “I guess that’s fine. Just make sure not to be here too early. I’m not up until 7, and you know that.” 

  


“I know, Katie. I won’t be there before 7 I promise. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

  


“You will have to make this up to me, you know.” 

  


“What do you want?” I was almost afraid to ask. 

  


“Can you clear my credit card again? I really need some new shoes, Eddie.” God, I hated it when she called me that. She knew, but didn’t care. She only ever called me that when she needed something from me. 

  


“Yeah, Katie, I'll clear your card.” 

  


“You’ll set the amount used back to zero?” 

  


“Yeah, I will.” 

  


She squealed, clapping her hands. “Thank you, Eddie!” 

  


“OK, Katie, I gotta get back in there.” 

  


“Bye Eddie, love you!” And she hung up. For once since we had gotten married, I was thankful that I hadn’t had to say it back to her. She often hung up on me in that manner, so it wasn’t new. It was just the first time I wasn’t upset about it. 

  


There was a strange sort of peace that enveloped me as I got closer to Bella’s hotel. The strength of my feelings for her were threatening to overwhelm me, to the point that I knew I was going to tell her how I felt tonight. Falling in love with her had been easy, as if I was destined to do so. My heart was racing thinking of being able to kiss her again...to be able to show her how I felt physically. I was high on my love for her, and it was making my skin tingle at just the thought. 

  


By the time we got to the hotel, I was eager to touch her again. I reached out and grabbed her hand, not even caring if there was anyone there who would recognize us. I held it all the way up to her room, waiting impatiently for her to get the door open to her suite. As soon as the door shut, I couldn’t contain myself any longer. I grabbed her and pressed her against the door, touching her like she was the air I needed to breath in order to stay alive. 

  


Because she was. She was everything that was perfect in my life. Through the last two years I had found that she was the best part of work; best part of every day I had. Kissing and touching her was urgent and breathless, because I couldn’t do it any other way. 

  


It took concentrated effort to get her shirt and bra off, while she was trying to get my own shirt off. I was struggling to continue to breathe as I saw her for the first time. “Even more beautiful than in my imagination,” I whispered, skimming my hands over her nipples. She held back a moan. I couldn't have her do that, I needed to hear her; I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back, and she shouldn’t either. “Don’t hold back, baby. I want to hear everything.” 

  


I led her to the bed, shedding clothes on our way. My brain was fuzzy, as though I'd had a narcotic. And I realized that the feeling was coming from Bella. She was better than any drug my college friends described having. She made me feel powerful and giddy; strong and crazy...and I was completely addicted to her. 

  


But even with those feelings in the air, I looked at her questioningly. I had to make sure this was truly what she wanted. We were about to cross a line, and while I knew what I was going to do after the line was crossed, I couldn’t presume to know what her thoughts were. She smirked at me, as if she was trying not to laugh, and the tone changed in the room. Instead of mashing fingers and lips, it was softer and fun. 

  


Bella had always represented fun to me, even from almost the first day we started working together. Her sense of humor, dry wit, and tendency to say whatever she thought was highly amusing, and honestly, I couldn’t live without it. I knew immediately she was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen in my life, but as soon as her personality started to come into our work, I fell just a little farther. 

  


I laid her on the bed, discarding our respective underwear, and lined myself up with her. I couldn’t get enough of how her lips tasted, how her body felt, and how all of it made me feel. I felt like I was buzzing with electricity in every place that I touched her; it was a heady feeling. All the blood was pooling in my dick, and it was straining to be inside her. I couldn’t wait any longer. I deepened our kiss and pushed inside her slowly. 

  


I sighed in satisfaction, at the same time she did as well. I held myself still for just a moment, reveling in the sensations that were all around me. She was tight and warm, enveloping me within a cocoon of pure and unadulterated passion. My skin was buzzing, my head was cloudy and my heart was racing. I slowly began to move inside her, pulling back so I could look into her eyes. 

  


I saw in a movie once that making love while staring into your partner’s eyes was the closest you would come to seeing their soul with your own eyes. And, fuck it, I believed it. When her eyes rolled back into her head, closing, I had to stop that. I needed to see her like I needed to breathe. 

  


“Don’t you dare look away now.” I kissed her again before leaning back so I could stare into her eyes that just opened. Her chocolate brown eyes stared into mine, and I felt complete – whole – more so than any other time in my entire life. 

  


I held her eyes as I continued to move inside her, resisting my own urge to close my eyes to enjoy the sensations. I just wanted this with her. I didn’t know if this would be the first and last time I was with her, and I needed to have this connection at least once. 

  


Feeling she was getting close, I grabbed her leg under my arm, and repositioned myself so that I could rub her clit. I was going to burst soon, I knew it, and I didn’t want her to be left hanging. Her eyes left mine at that point, most likely due to the overwhelming sensations, and I couldn’t blame her. Though, I missed her eyes the second they closed. I lowered my face to her breast, taking the nipple in my mouth, swirling my tongue. I knew I was just overloading her more, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted her to feel what I was feeling – how intense the entire experience was for me. 

  


“Come for me, Bella,” I whispered, bringing my tongue against her nipple again. 

  


And then, the most amazing thing happened. Her chest arched into me, head thrown back, and her walls clenching me – and then she screamed. A guttural, rabid, uninhabited scream. Her pleasure had been so intense, she had screamed. I couldn’t hold myself back at that point. I recaptured her lips, in order to drown some of the noise out, and I pushed within her again. Her release triggered mine, and I surged within her, seeing stars behind my eyes with the biggest orgasm I've ever had in my life. 

  


My body was humming, and I still couldn’t reopen my eyes, but I kept kissing her. I stayed within her for a few moments, relishing the feeling knowing I would have to slide out soon. I needed this, I needed her, like it was necessary for my survival. I was fully, 100%, in love with her. No matter what she said next, or what happened, I knew that would never change. 

  


Eventually, I felt myself slide out of her and I shifted so that we could both breathe better. I laid down on the side of the bed, careful not to touch her, though I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her. She looked content, but I was worried that she would regret what we did. Since both of us were married, I was worried about what she would think now that the blind passion was past. 

  


Carefully, I formatted my words. Even after what we had just done – which was simply the most amazing sex I'd ever had in my life – there was worry over what would happen next. “Did...” I started, glancing away from her. I was sure she could see every feeling I had written in my eyes. “Should we have done that?” I held my breath waiting for her to answer. Did she feel as I did, or would she be wracked with guilt? 

  


She told me that she didn’t regret it, though I was still cautious, but when she told me about her husband and how they hadn’t had sex in almost five years, I was beyond shocked. Living with someone that looked like her, and had her personality, and not initiating sex? What a fucking idiot. I scooted closer to her, kissing her, telling her wordlessly how I felt about her, while explaining that she should be filled with pleasure every day. 

  


We kissed slowly, and I basked in the feeling of her. But as she lowered her face, I caught a glimpse of a tear sliding down her face. She had said she didn’t regret what we did, right? Why was she crying? Had I done something – other than potentially ruin our marriages – to cause her to feel sad? 

  


“Bella...” I whispered, slipping even closer to her. I begged her in my mind to tell me why she was crying, what had caused it, and how I could fix it. I couldn’t be the cause of problems for her, and if that meant that I needed to leave her so that she could be happy, I would do it. 

  


“No, really, it’s fine. I knew this would end this way. I just wanted to pretend for a moment or two,” she said, as though I knew exactly how she was feeling. She rolled away from me, eyes staring up into the ceiling. “You should go, Edward. Your wife is expecting you.” 

  


“No, I’m not leaving. I already told her that I wouldn’t be home tonight. That I chose to stay at a hotel close to the office. Bella, I'm not leaving.” 

  


She looked at me again, eyes confused. “Why?” 

  


I shifted back onto of her, and found my way back inside her. As I did this, the dam broke. I told her everything in my head. How I wanted to pretend that she and I were together; that I wanted to feel her with every part of my body. And then, finally, I leaned back, still moving inside of her, and I told her what I most wanted to say. 

  


“Maybe I wanted to be inside you when I tell you that I love you.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I knew how true they were. I had never felt this way for anything, my wife included. Every part of my being called out for Bella, and my body responded the only way it could. I needed to be closer to her, filling her with every single part of myself. 

  


She started crying, looking into my eyes. I kissed away the tears, still fearful at her response. She didn’t say stop, and she didn’t look like she wanted to, but tears continued to fall. I kissed them all away, before bringing my mouth back to hers. 

  


“I love you, baby.” I started thrusting into her harder, unable to look away from her face. I saw uncertainty, I was sure of it. I couldn’t stop telling her now, and I didn’t want to. But I didn’t know how she felt still. 

  


“Edward...” she moaned, her eyes closing as her chest pressed up into me. My name didn’t tell me anything, even if she felt similar. I was frustrated; I needed her to believe what I was telling her. And I desperately needed to know what she thought, too. 

  


“Bella, look at me,” I commanded, pushing into her even faster. Her eyes opened slowly. I couldn’t read the emotion behind them, so I continued. “I want you to look at me and see that I'm not lying. I’m not just telling you something I think you want to hear. That I am not saying this just to sleep with you. I love you.” 

  


For a moment I was terrified. Determination is what I was seeing behind her eyes. More tears leaked out as she stared up at me. She brought her hand to my face, smiling. “Edward, I love you more than anything in the world.” 

  


And then, just as suddenly as I felt the fear earlier, my world was right. It was picked up and put back on its axis by the amazing woman underneath me. I couldn’t help but smile, telling her to come for me again. I wanted to stay in this position with her forever, but I knew that we needed to talk and make decisions. Now that I knew our feelings were mutual, we had to have that conversation. 

  


She surprised me by pushing me back and settling on top of me, lining me up to slide inside her. This position was my favorite already. My hands were free to roam her body, and honestly, she looked glorious on top of me, our bodies moving in sync. My hands settled on her hips, guiding her, moaning at the contact. She leaned down and kissed me, telling me she wanted control. Fuck if that comment didn’t go straight to my dick. 

  


But I felt the fear return when she said she wanted to pretend that this whole thing was real. I told her it was, that I loved her, but she still looked sad – defeated. I had to stop this! She needed to understand exactly what she meant to me, and that nothing outside of this room mattered. As long as I was with her, I knew I would be happy. She was the only thing in this entire damn world I cared about. 

  


I put my hands on her cheeks, desperate to make her believe me. “I’ve never met anyone like you. If I had met you years ago, I wouldn’t be married to her right now. Bella, baby, I need you. I can’t live without you now.” 

  


The fear was edging everything else out of me, so I brought my hand down to her clit, knowing that would get her off quickly. We needed to have this conversation. I needed to make her understand. She cried out my name, falling over the edge and collapsing on my body. Just as it had happened the last time, her release caused mine, and I surged inside her again. 

  


She kissed me slowly, but didn’t open her eyes. I had no way of knowing what she was thinking. “Bella,” I whispered, begging her to look at me. She leaned back and our eyes met and I really wanted to stop the hurt behind them. “Please talk to me.” 

  


“I don’t know what to say.” 

  


Suddenly, I was desperate. I had to make sure she felt exactly what I had. “Tell me you love me and you want to be with me,” I begged her. My eyes were focused on hers, and I found myself growing hard again already. No one could make me feel this way but her, I knew that much. 

  


She told me that she wanted to be with me, and I relished in that thought. I told her the truth, how I saw our future, how I wanted her in my life desperately. I told her that I couldn’t imagine my life without her, and my god was it the truth. Now that I knew what it was like to really be with her, I couldn’t imagine my life the way it had been. 

  


I wanted to start moving inside her, but I resisted initially. She joked about performance reviews, and I finally began moving inside her. We laughed, and she moved on top of me even more. My love for her was growing rapidly, and it was consuming me. I remembered wanting this kind of love when I was younger, but I honestly had thought it didn’t exist. It was Bella; that’s what I was missing. She was the missing piece of the puzzle for my life. 

  


After I told her that, the tone changed. I became desperate to get closer to her, almost as if my body wanted to claw its way completely inside her. Her movements were rushed as well, and we tore at each other’s skin, desperate for just more. When she told me she needed me harder, I shifted our position and slammed into her, just like we both wanted – needed. 

  


“Baby, look at me,” I said with rasping breath, heart racing. She came the second our eyes met, screaming loudly. She pushed me over the edge as she trembled around me, and I saw stars behind my eyes again. Leaning down, my head fell to her shoulder, totally out of breath. “Fuck.” I could barely think; damn that had been intense. 

  


Her laughed registered in my brain after a few seconds. Her fingers scratching lightly on the back of my neck was extremely distracting. “Yeah. Fuck indeed.” 

  


My laughter joined hers, and I kissed her softly. “It just gets better and better.” 

  


“Two pieces of a puzzle, Edward? Do you really believe that?” 

  


I brought my hand to her cheek, loving her so much it hurt. I tried to tell her the truth, how I felt, how right this all was. I wasn’t sure that the information coming out of my head was even right, I was so taken with her that my brain wasn’t quite working. Until she said the one thing I wasn’t expecting. 

  


“Edward, what are we going to do?” 

  


My brain started working again, and I remembered what we both had waiting for us at home. I didn’t know how we were going to get through this, but I knew what I was going to do. As always with Bella, I chose honesty. 

  


“Divorce. It's the only way.” 

  


“Do you want that?” 

  


I couldn’t look away from her; I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t know if we were on the same page. “I want you. I can’t...I can’t let you go, Bella.” 

  


She brought her hand up to my cheek. “It’s going to be really hard. There is going to be pain brought to those I know we both love. Am I worth going through that for, Edward?” 

  


“You are worth whatever hardships I have to go through. I want to be with you. I'd walk on fire to get to you, my Bella.” I was silently demanding that she believed me. I needed her to understand. 

  


She smiled at me, and I smiled back. “I love you so much, Edward. I know this is going to be hard, but we can do this. We will find our way to being together, baby.” 

  


I shifted off of her, suddenly exhausted. I curled into her side, hugging her close, my lips on her shoulder. “I’m glad we have the night. I couldn’t move right now if I wanted to.” 

  


She laughed, curling so that her back was to me, snuggling backwards so we were pressed together. “You will never live down three times, Edward. That's insane for most men.” 

  


I laughed, running my hands along her arm, pulling her even closer to me. “If you give me a minute, I might be able to do round number four, baby.” 

  


“Oh, god, Edward, give me some time to recover.” She laughed harder though. 

  


“Sore, baby? I’m sorry. I can’t seem to control myself around you.” I kissed her shoulder. “But get used to it. When we are together all the time, this is how life is going to be for us.” 

  


“We’ll never get any work done.” 

  


“Thank god.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again friends! Here is Edward’s version of chapter two of Inappropriate Love (reminder to read that first before this one!) I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2 – EPOV 

  


I knew Bella hadn’t sleep much, but I felt more rested than I had in years. Being in bed with her was almost spiritual for me; it took all my stress away and calmed me down like nothing else before. When I woke in the middle of the night, I couldn’t resist her. After I calmed her fears about me regretting our actions, I took her again. 

  


As I slipped back into sleep, I realized that never in my life had I had sex four times in one night. The connection I had with Bella – not to mention how fucking beautiful she was – just made me want her so much. 

  


My dreams were swirls of chocolate brown eyes, pale skin and moaning. I woke up early to find Bella finally asleep. Or at least, her eyes were closed. When I leaned in to kiss her back again, as I had the night before, I could tell her breathing was erratic. 

  


“Did you sleep at all?” I asked her, kissing her shoulder again. 

  


“Not really.” 

  


“Is something wrong?” I worried that she was doubting me again. 

  


She rolled over, smiling up at me. The smile made me feel warm all over. I leaned over and kissed her mouth, savoring every flavor I could. What we had to deal with coming up would take so much out of both of us, and in this moment, I was the happiest I had ever been. I pulled back, bringing my hand to her cheek, caressing it softly. 

  


“What’s wrong, baby?” 

  


“I just keep thinking about leaving tomorrow. And wondering how long it’s going to be before we are back together again.” She bit her lip. “I guess I was afraid to sleep because I would lose time just being with you.” 

  


“Hmm...” I leaned in and kissed her again. I knew I couldn’t make love to her again; she was sore and I was too tired. But I could enjoy what little time we had left regardless. “I can understand that,” I said, pulling back slightly. My thoughts turned sour for a moment. “I wish you didn’t have to leave.” 

  


“And I wish I didn’t have to go. But I have to deal with him.” 

  


I nodded. “I know. I'll be with you every step of the way. We can be there for each other. Nothing will be easy, but being with you is worth it.” 

  


She smiled again. “How about a shower before you go? I assume you have to head home to get clean clothes?” 

  


“Yeah, I need to stop by before work.” 

  


Nodding, she stood up slowly. “Man, I'm going to be achy for a while.” I laughed, standing up also. “Oh sure, laugh now, jackass. Just wait. Someday I hope that I'll be the one to make you sore!” 

  


Laughing even harder, I stood up and followed her into the bathroom. She turned the shower on and stepped inside after the water was warm. I followed, snaking my arms around her. “I’m sorry, baby. Really. I don’t want you to be sore.” 

  


“But,” she said, turning around to face me. “You are extremely proud of yourself, aren’t you?” 

  


I threw my head back and laughed. “Absolutely!” 

  


“Give me some space, cowboy. I gotta clean up a bit.” She shoved me lightly and started washing her hair. I stood transfixed watching her, not even noticing the cold of the tile behind my back, or the loss of the warm water on my skin. She was extremely beautiful in every scenario, but even more so right now. I made a mental note to take as many showers with her as I could once we were back together. Though, when she pulled out the washcloth and started cleaning herself between her legs, I felt guilty. There was pain etched on her face. 

  


“Baby, I'm so sorry. You are really sore, aren’t you?” 

  


“It’s tolerable, I assure you. It's the good kind of sore, Edward. But I’m sort of a mess. Give me a minute please.” 

  


Mess. What did she...suddenly, it clicked. “Oh god, Bella! I forgot all about protection!” 

  


Before I could go down a shame spiral, she turned around and rolled her eyes at me. “Duh. I noticed.” 

  


“Fuck, baby, I'm so sorry! I never planned for this, and I swear to god I would have protected you. I should have! I don’t know what to say...” 

  


“It’s fine, Edward, really. I have an IUD; I'm not going to get pregnant.” She stood on her toes, kissing me softly. “I didn’t think about it either. You know I'm clean, since I can’t even remember the last time I had sex.” 

  


I leaned my head against hers. “I should have at least made sure first. I’m so sorry.” I didn’t mention when the last time was that I had sex, I didn’t need to bring that up right now. In fact, even thinking of Kate and I having sex at all right now made me feel sick. I should be able to avoid it fairly easily until I can tell her about the divorce. 

  


We kissed again, but I let her go back to washing herself. She stepped out, kissing me again, and then I finished up as quickly as possible. I wanted to get back to her and she had already left the bathroom. She was partially dressed by the time I made it out to the bedroom area, tucking the towel around my waist. 

  


“What time is it?” I asked her, reaching for my clothes. 

  


“It’s about 6:30,” she answered, checking her phone. She turned away and started rummaging in her suitcase, pulling out a pants suit. She shook the pants out, before walking around the side of the bed where an ironing board was set up. I hadn’t even noticed that the night before. I watched her plug in the iron, setting it down next to her pants and shirt. 

  


Amused at my lack of perception, I continued to get dressed before sitting on the bed. She glanced at me. “When do you need to leave?” 

  


“In a few minutes. Come here, baby.” I held my arms out to her. I knew I couldn’t put it off too much longer; it would take about 20 minutes to get to my house from here. I wouldn’t have a lot of time to run home, get dressed, and then get to the office in time for our early meeting. 

  


She walked over to me, still only in her bra and underwear, sitting next to me on the bed. She leaned her head against my shoulder, and I put my arm around her. For a few moments, neither of us said anything. I enjoyed the time with her, but I couldn’t stop myself from feeling sad that it was about to end. 

  


“Look at me,” I said, shifting away so I could see her better. Her eyes met mine, and I saw a tear leak out the side of one eye. I wiped it away with my thumb. “I know this is going to be hard. But please just keep remembering how much I love you. Ok?” 

  


Nodding, Bella leaned against me again. I felt her breath hitch a little, and I knew she was seconds away from crying. 

  


“I’m a text away at any time, ok? Please, baby, don’t cry,” I begged, kissing the top of her head, wrapping both arms around her tight. 

  


“I know, Edward.” She snuggled against me and sighed. “This is going to be hard; I have no idea how he’s going to take this.” 

  


“I know Jake is an asshole, but he wouldn’t hurt you right?” I had heard about and witnessed enough of that man to know just how much of an asshole he was. If I was being honest, I was really worried about her telling him she was leaving him – especially for another man. 

  


“No, he wouldn’t hurt me. But he’s going to yell a lot.” She huffed a laugh, standing up. I pulled her between my legs, looking up at her. “He always yells.” 

  


“I know, I'm sorry baby. I wish I could help you. Hell, I wish I could go with you. That way I can make sure you are safe.” 

  


“Let me do this, Edward. I need to for my own sanity, and so do you. We caused this, and it’s up to us to finish it. Right?” 

  


Nodding, I leaned forward, placing my head against her stomach. Her hands stroked my hair softly. “I need to get going. I need to make sure I make it into work before the meeting this morning.” 

  


“I know. Go, before I get more emotional. I don’t need to try and give our presentation while a sobbing mess.” She laughed, kissing my head. 

  


Laughing, I stood up and put my arms around her. “I love you,” I whispered into her hair. 

  


“I love you,” she whispered back. 

  


I walked to my car in a haze. Seattle was apparently on the same page as me, because there was a thick fog sitting on the city. The feeling of sadness enveloped me as I got further away from the hotel and closer to home. It would be hell when I got there, I knew it. No matter who she was, she didn’t deserve what I was going to say to her. 

  


I shook my head. Not today. I had to pick the right time, or this would just be even harder. Regardless, Kate was known for being spoiled; she wasn’t going to be happy about this at all. My mind just kept focusing on Bella as I weaved through the streets trying to get home. 

  


I rushed into our condo as fast as I could, knowing I only had thirty minutes at most before I needed to leave for the office. I didn’t bother calling for Kate, I knew she would still be in the bedroom this early. Opening the door as quietly as I could, I snuck in and eased my way into our walk-in closet. I didn’t bother turning the light on, since that would cause her to wake up. I used my cell phone flashlight instead, picking out a suit for the day and changing quickly. 

  


Unfortunately, I had managed to wake her up anyway. 

  


“Edward?” she said, sitting up slightly from the bed. “Is that you?” 

  


“Hey, Katie. I’m sorry I woke you.” 

  


She glanced at the alarm clock by her side of the bed. “Well, at least it’s after seven. Did you make coffee?” 

  


“I just got in; I didn’t have a chance to.” 

  


She yawned. “Ok, let me know when the coffee’s done. I don’t want to get up yet.” 

  


Rolling my eyes, knowing she couldn’t see me, I walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. I made the coffee as fast as I could, trying to be patient as it percolated. My eyes closed and I remember Bella’s lips, and her touch. I focused on it and tried to remain calm. 

  


“Eddie?” I cringed and turned toward her. She was walking down the hallway, pulling on her robe. “Did you clear my credit card like you said you would?” 

  


“I didn’t have time, Katie. I was working until really late.” 

  


She pouted, sliding up to the counter, grabbing a coffee mug. “Make sure to do it this morning? I saw a sale I wanted to hit today.” 

  


Stifling a sigh, I nodded. She smiled and kissed me quickly – so fast that I couldn’t even register that it was a kiss before she was gone. She grabbed her coffee and wandered back into the bedroom. She didn’t even tell me to have a good day at work or anything. 

  


When the coffee was done, I grabbed some in a to-go cup and raced out the door. I was thankful that Bella had the bulk of the presentation, because my mind was flying all over the place. For an irrational moment, I thought about just leaving a note for Kate, telling her it was over. Knowing that wouldn’t work, I continued out the door and made it to work with only minutes to spare. 

  


The work day was exhausting, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Bella. I knew she was amazing to work with, and I loved so much about her. But in the light of the new relationship we had formed last night, she was even more beautiful to me than ever before. I couldn’t keep myself from smiling at her at every opportunity, missing the closeness of the night before. 

  


Saying goodbye to her at the end of the day was harder than I thought. We were in the same conference room as the day before, closing out the campaign we had pitched in the morning. 

  


“What time is your flight tomorrow?” I asked her, unable to look at her. 

  


“I think it leaves at 7,” she said, turning off her computer. 

  


“Will you tell me when you get home?” 

  


“I will.” 

  


Turning, I looked directly at her. She mirrored my position, eyes a little guarded. “Will you do one more thing for me?” When she didn’t answer, I continued. “Promise me that you will check in? Tell me how things go with Jake? If at any time you do not feel safe, please let me be your first call. I will be there if you need me.” 

  


She smiled. “Don’t worry about him, Edward. He’s just loud. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt me, I promise. But,” she said, when I was about to say something else. “I will promise to tell you if I am not safe. And I will check in. Like you could get rid of me that easily!” 

  


After that, I walked her outside angry that I couldn’t hug and kiss her the way I wanted to. I watched her drive away and I felt the sadness overwhelm me for a moment. Finally, once her car was totally out of sight, I got in mine and made the drive home. I ran my hand through my hair before I stepped inside the door; I had no idea how to act in front of Kate right now. 

  


Before I lost my nerve, I walked into the house, glancing around to see where my wife was. When I didn’t see her immediately, I walked into the bedroom expecting her to be there. But the house was empty. I fished my phone out of my pocket, checking my messages. Sure enough, I'd missed one from her earlier. 

  


Kate: Heading to the mall with Tonya. B back latr. Thnks 4 clearing my card 

  


Groaning, I walked into the closet and changed out of my work clothes. As I wandered through the house, feeling like a stranger in a place I shouldn’t be, I stopped in the kitchen and just stared at it. It was a cute condo, though it wasn’t really my style. Kate had insisted on a high-rise condo close to her friends in the city. At the time, I hadn’t really cared. Now it just sort of annoyed me. Like we were living in a place that, had I not had an inheritance, we wouldn’t be able to afford. 

  


As I sat down at the table, staring out over the darkening city, I became frustrated. Bella was still here, in my city, and I couldn’t do anything about it. There would be no way to convince Kate that I had to stay at a hotel for another night, even if I wanted to. 

  


Suddenly, I perked up. I didn’t have to spend the night, but I could kiss and hug her the way I wanted! Grabbing my keys, and throwing my shoes on, I made a dash for my car in the parking garage before Kate got home. The whole drive to her hotel my heart was racing. What if Kate saw me? What if someone else did? I hadn’t even considered these thoughts last night, being so focused on Bella. But tonight, I was nervous. 

  


I parked and dashed into the hotel’s door, running for the elevator without looking in the lobby at all. By the time I got to Bella’s door, though, I was calmer. Now that I was actually here, safely hidden in the hallway, I knew that no one could see me. Rather than knock, I pulled my phone out and texted her, asking her to open the door. 

  


Seeing her again, in the very room where I'd finally confessed my feelings for her, was bittersweet. I wanted to stay with her more than anything else. As I was kissing her, in that moment, I couldn’t find any reason to leave her again. Unfortunately, reality hit me over the head as soon as our lips broke apart. I told her I loved her. I told her that her loving me was enough. And then I walked out and drove back to my life, with bitterness and resentment toward Kate the whole way. 

  


As I walked back into my apartment, hearing Kate and Tonya in the kitchen, I realized how horrible my thoughts earlier had been. It wasn’t her fault that I was in love with someone else, it was mine. I had to make sure that I didn’t make this divorce her fault, because it simply wasn’t. There was a lot I would change about my life, if Bella hadn’t come into it, but regardless of that, I caused this and I would handle it. 

  


I spent the evening reading in the living room, listening to the two of them gossip and drink up all the wine we had in the condo. Finally, Tonya called herself a cab and left, and then Kate came and sat next to me on the couch. I hated drunk Kate, always had. But tonight was worse. She was always handsy, but more often than not she was rude and crass as well. Tonight, I couldn’t even look at her, let alone touch her, and when she put her arms around my neck, I had to hold back a flinch. 

  


“Take me to bed, Eddie,” she purred into my ear. My stomach in turmoil, I set my book down and looked up at her. 

  


“You’re drunk, Katie.” 

  


“And? So what if I'm drunk, we are married. And I want my husband to fuck me as hard as he can.” She leaned over and licked my ear, causing me to bolt off the couch. She looked angry for a second before she stood up, holding her hand over her mouth, and ran to the bathroom. 

  


I sighed, knowing I was off the hook now, and made my way into the bedroom to get ready to sleep. She wouldn’t so easily be deferred the next time, so I was going to have to figure this out really soon. During the week was normally fine; she was always busy with her friends. Friday and Saturday nights, though, were the times when she wanted sex the most. She would also want to go out to clubs, dancing and drinking, until late at night before having sex. I didn’t want any of those things with her any longer. 

  


The next morning, after a night filled with Kate running back and forth from the bathroom to the bed, I got up and got ready for work. I knew that Bella would already be at the airport, possibly in the plane already, but I texted her anyway. I had to tell her how I felt about her, and how much stronger my feelings continued to be. 

  


Edward: I love you so much, Bella. Safe trip 

  


Her response was almost immediate. 

  


Bella: I love you, too, Edward. I promise I'll be safe and come to you as soon as I can. We can both do this! 

  


I smiled and finished getting ready, heading into the office a little earlier than normal. Kate was still sleeping, and I really didn’t have the energy to deal with her hungover. The office was still dark and quiet when I got there, but I headed over to my desk to pack it up. I was moving into my office today, starting the manager job on Monday, so I wanted to get all of my personal items out of the drawers as soon as possible. 

  


I heard from Bella close to lunchtime, telling me that she’d made it home and was going to unpack and then take a nap, since no one was home. Hearing from her did help, but I was still dreading what was waiting for me at home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we got a little more from Kate here. Just wait. You guys will ‘love’ her before all is said and done :) 
> 
> I have through chapter 5 written and beta’d at this point, looks like I'm going for the full chapter by chapter! Hope you are all ok with that! 
> 
> Also, don’t forget, I’m still posting chapters of my Twilight vamp fic Twist of Fate. If you have read it, please do! I’d love to see what you think of that story also. 
> 
> Once again, thanks ever so much to my beautiful and wonderful beta zombified419. I don’t know what I’d ever do without you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the holiday this week, I most likely won’t be able to post later in the week. So, I decided to give you all the chapter today! Diving into Edward’s story a little more, and the witch he’s married to. Enjoy? LOL

Chapter 3 – EPOV 

  


I was dreading going home the entire day. It was Friday, which meant I would have two uninterrupted days with Kate. She was always looking at the unexpected, wanting to shock me with plans or trips. I remembered a time when I found it exciting, but now I just dreaded it. Every cell in my body was rebelling against being with her. 

  


As it turned out, I had nothing to fear. When I got home, she was walking out of the bedroom with a bag packed. I looked at it, and then glanced at her. 

  


“Are you going somewhere?” 

  


“Tonya’s dad gave us the cabin. I thought it could be fun to head up there for a few days.” 

  


Tonya’s rich father had a cabin in British Columbia, and they went there often. The cabin wasn’t like roughing it in anyway; it was located on the grounds of a large spa and luxury hotel. There were around twenty cabins spread throughout several acres of land, all within easy walking distance of the pool, salon and many fancy restaurants. 

  


Relief that I wouldn’t have to deal with her, or with breaking to her the impending divorce, I smiled at her. “That sounds like fun. I hope you both have a wonderful time.” 

  


“Thanks, Eddie,” she said, smiling up at me as she stepped closer. Her arms wound around me, and I put mine around her, knowing I couldn’t do anything else. “Can you do me a really big favor?” 

  


Based on what she called me, I knew what was coming. “What do you need, Katie?” 

  


“Can you give me some spending money?” 

  


“What about your credit card? I just cleared it for you.” 

  


“Yeah, well, I had to buy things for the trip! I need more or I won’t have any money to spend while I'm up there!” 

  


I closed my eyes in frustration. More of my inheritance going down the drain. My grandparents had left me plenty, but I worried that she was going to spend every last dime of it before we had children, or bought a house. Then, I realized something. 

  


“Sure thing, Katie. I’ll clear your credit card again, yeah? That way you can use it while up there.” 

  


“Thank you, Edward!” She reached up and kissed me quickly, before turning around and grabbing her bag. “Tonya is going to be here soon, so I'm going to go down and wait for her. Have a fun weekend!” 

  


Without saying anything else, I watched her walk out of the condo, shutting the door firmly behind her. From experience, I knew that meant I wouldn’t see her for at least a week. Excited, instead of annoyed as I had always been before, I walked back into the kitchen to find something to eat. I wouldn’t have to stick to any diets that she’s currently on, or worry about avoiding sex, or be forced to go out to clubs with her friends. Instead, I could just enjoy the time to myself. 

  


I ate my dinner and reflected on my realization from earlier. Because I was ending the marriage, I no longer had to worry about her sucking all of my inheritance. Soon, I would be able to spend money on Bella, and possibly our future children and future home. That made me happier than I thought possible, and I focused on it through the evening. 

  


I wanted to text Bella, make sure that she was ok, but I didn’t know if it was ok to do that. I didn’t want her husband seeing my text and wondering why we were talking over the weekend. It made me feel guilty, like the cheater that I was. For the millionth time since I'd fallen in love with Bella, I wished that I had someone to talk to about the whole situation. 

  


I suppose I could call Alice. She had seemed the most likely to accept this turn of events. I knew Emmett wouldn’t, and I didn’t dare call my parents. Unfortunately, over the years of being forced to do mostly what Kate wanted, I had lost contact with the majority of my friends. Some had faded by the end of college, but most had moved on and away from Seattle. Kate and her group had mostly stayed intact here, so we spent the majority of our time with them. Well, Kate did, and I spent time by myself or with my siblings. 

  


Sure, I had a few buddies at the bar I would go to now and then. But we weren’t close. I couldn’t confide in any of them. They were more ‘chat while drinking’ kind of friends; locals, who were always at the bar when I showed up. 

  


Bella solved my problem for me, though. She texted me just after I had finished cleaning up from dinner. 

  


Bella: I’m telling him tomorrow. 

  


Me: So soon? 

  


Bella: I don’t want to wait a second longer. It's going to take a while to sink into his thick head anyway. 

  


Me: Are you nervous? 

  


Bella: About telling him? Hell yeah. About leaving him? Hell NO 

  


I chuckled, reading her text. I loved this woman so much; with her spunky attitude, constant jokes even in high stress situations, and...well, really, just everything about her. 

  


Me: Just be careful, ok? I want the woman I love back in my arms as fast as possible. 

  


Bella: LOL, I know. I will be. Like I said, it will take a while to sink into him that I'm serious. I’ve threatened this before, so I'm sure he won’t believe me right away. 

  


Through the course of the next few days, she proved to be correct. She would text me now and then telling me how she told him she wanted out, and he just waved her off, or scoffed at her telling her to grow up. There were many times that I had wanted to fly down there and beat the crap out of this asshole for treating her the way that he did. But I respected Bella’s wish to handle it on her own. 

  


By the following weekend, though, with Kate’s return impending for later that day, I was desperate to fly down there. Bella texted me in the morning, saying that he had finally gotten what she had been saying all week. She explained how he was yelling and throwing things – though, not at her, thankfully – and that she was packing her things to leave. 

  


I had to restrain myself, calming quickly, knowing that Kate would be home any minute. I didn’t want her coming home to a panicked look on my face and then having to explain it. I texted with Bella as long as I could, before Kate walked in the front door. She looked happy, with her hair styled, nails done, and what looked like a brand-new outfit on. With the revolving door of clothing she had, though, I couldn’t be sure. 

  


“Welcome back, Katie. Did you and Tonya have fun?” 

  


“Oh, Edward. It was so wonderful! We had the best time. Tonya’s father paid for us to have the luxury spa treatment while we were there. I haven’t felt this relaxed in years!” She walked over and pulled me down, kissing me hard. “I missed you.” 

  


Stifling myself from leaning away from her, I kissed her back lightly. “I missed you, too,” I lied easily. “I’m glad that you had a good time.” 

  


“The cleaners will be here within an hour. Just enough time,” she grinned up at me, running her tongue along her upper lip. 

  


“Cleaners?” I asked, distracted by thinking of an excuse to get out of sleeping with her. 

  


My distracted brain is what got me out of it. “Yes, cleaners. You realize that tomorrow is my mother’s birthday party, right?” She took a step back, glaring at me. “We planned the party together! Don't tell me you forgot!” 

  


That’s exactly what I'd done. With everything that had happened with Bella, I'd completely forgotten my mother-in-law's party at our house the next day. I would normally have felt really guilty, but since her anger meant I didn’t have to fake a reason why I couldn’t sleep with her, I rolled with it. 

  


“Your mother’s party? For what?” I lied, smiling to myself. 

  


“Her birthday, Edward!” Kate put her hands on her hips. “You don’t forget stuff like that, what the hell is wrong with you?” 

  


That was all it took. She was angry with me the rest of the day, not speaking and glaring every time she passed me. I hung out in my office while the cleaners were there, so I could stay out of their way and also avoid Kate. Bella hadn’t texted me back and I was desperate to know if she had gotten out of there and was safe. I didn't want to text her first, though, just in case for some reason he had her cell. 

  


Kate didn’t say anything when I came in the bedroom to go to sleep, so I just laid down and tried in vain to rest. I was agitated about not hearing from Bella, and I really didn’t want to be in the same bed as Kate. I couldn’t think of a reason to move to the couch, though. Even with her being angry at me it was something I had just never done. I had to wait until after the party to tell her, otherwise I would ruin it for her mother. 

  


By the next morning, Kate was more focused on the party than on being mad at me. She kissed me on the cheek as she ran out to the grocery store to get the food we needed. Somehow, she had talked me into helping her with the food and decorations. I was drinking coffee when I got a text from Bella. 

  


Bella: Do you have the time to call me? Is she back yet? 

  


I immediately picked up my cell and called her. “Bella? Are you ok?” 

  


I heard her sigh. “I was going to tell you that I was fine; safe at Angela’s house...” 

  


“What happened?” I asked through gritted teeth. That bastard did something, I knew it. 

  


“He was mad, right? We knew he would be. I got the first load of my stuff to my car, and it sounded like he was still in the garage.” She huffed a laugh. “My mistake was going back inside. I was trying to get my work monitor...so dumb. At first, he was being really reasonable. We talked about how we would separate the furniture and everything.” 

  


“Baby, what did he do?” 

  


She sighed again. “When I told him that I had slept with someone else, he...” she was silent for a few moments. I wanted to press her, but I also was afraid of what she was going to say. “He punched me right in the face.” 

  


My eyes widened, and I flew off the chair. I started pacing thinking about how quickly I could get down to her. If I told Kate as soon as she got back, I could pack a bag and fly down to her tonight. I could afford a hotel for a few weeks until she was ready to move, that was the easy part. We could stay together in the hotel, look for houses to live in, and be happy. Best of which, she would be protected if the asshole did anything. And, if he did anything, I would be there to kill the son of a bitch. 

  


“Edward?” Bella asked in a small voice. 

  


“I’m going to kill him. I’m going to fly down there and kill him.” I was completely enraged. If I ever got my hands on her husband, I would kill him. There was no doubt about it. 

  


“No, Edward, don’t do that. He didn’t mean it; he’s never been abusive before.” 

  


I took a deep breath. Surely, she could see what I did. Surely, she understood what he was doing to her! “Bella, it only takes one time for a man to be an abuser. Not to mention all of the emotional abuse over the years.” 

  


“What?” 

  


I paced the floor, staring out into the Seattle skyline, trying to explain the years of abuse. It was almost scary how trained Jake had her; she defended him at every curve. I made a mental note to look some of this up, see if I could figure out a way of getting through to her. I wanted to help her, but she needed to realize what he was doing to her first. 

  


The hardest part of the conversation was when she doubted me again. I sighed in frustration. She was so unused to someone loving her – truly loving her – that she didn’t always believe me the first time I said it. I decided to continue to remind her; even if I was doing that for the rest of my life. She apologized, telling me it was a rough week. I could only imagine how hard hers had been. 

  


“I know it has, baby. What can I do to help?” I sat down on the chair by the window, staring out, relishing in her voice. 

  


“Nothing, really. Just keep loving me. That's all I need. I'll figure all this home crap out and move as soon as I possibly can. I promise.” 

  


“I’ll never stop loving you, Bella. Never.” 

  


“Thank god for that!” 

  


I ended the call shortly after, knowing Kate would be home soon. I started putting up the decorations, prepping for the party. While I may not want to be married to Kate any longer, her mother didn’t need to suffer as a result. I helped her with the food and everything else, including seeing the guests in as they started to arrive. 

  


Patience was never my strong suit, but I tried. I tried to be patient with Kate, because she didn’t know I was ending everything. I tried to be patient with Bella, knowing that she would tell me how the second trip over to her house went. But most of all, I tried to be patient with time. I had to wait until next weekend, at earliest, to tell Kate. I needed out of this lie; I couldn’t live it any longer. They were just adding up, getting deeper and deeper into the chasm of bullshit I was spouting to her. I couldn’t live like this for much longer. 

  


Thankfully, Bella’s second visit went moderately better – except for a few bruises from his hands on her again. I was grateful that her friends had gone over; I was sure that it would have been much worse if she had been on her own. But all of her stuff was out, so she had no reason to go back. This helped propel me through the next five days of hell. 

  


On Monday, Kate was nicer to me, having forgotten about the fight over the weekend until I claimed to be tired from drinking too much at the party. On Tuesday, I lied and told her I had to work late, promising to sleep on the couch if I got home late, so as to not wake her up – that was the day I found the perfect apartment for Bella, since staying at the office gave me time to search. On Wednesday, I claimed to be tired from working too much the night before. On Thursday, I worked late again – visiting the apartment that I found, making sure it would fit both of us comfortably. And by Friday, she was pissed. 

  


“Edward,” she said, rounding on me as soon as I walked in the door after work. “What in the hell is going on with you? You have been weird all week!” 

  


I sighed, setting my backpack down by the door. “Let me get changed first.” 

  


“First? Before what? What the hell is going on!?” 

  


I ignored her, walking into the bedroom to grab some sweats and a t-shirt. She followed me, arms crossed, looking extremely angry. I dressed in silence, knowing the anger was just going to get worse. Once I was done, I turned to face her. 

  


“Let’s sit down, ok?” 

  


“Edward, I demand that you tell me what is going on right now!” 

  


Again, I ignored her and walked into the living room. I had been preparing for this conversation all week. And even after a full week of practice, everything that I had thought went right out the window when faced with my wife. I sat down on the couch, but she kept standing, her face a mask of fear and anger. 

  


“We need to talk, Katie...” I started. 

  


“Obviously.” 

  


“I want a divorce.” I inhaled sharply. I had wanted to lead up to it, ease into the conversation. But my desire to get to Bella and save her from her soon to be ex-husband, compounded by my need to be free of Kate, made my brain not work right. My eyes met hers, seeing the mask change from anger to confusion. 

  


“What the hell are you talking about?” She finally sat down. She chose a chair opposite the couch, rather than sitting next to me. That was fair. 

  


“We have always been friends, right? The whole time we’ve been together I kept waiting for that all-consuming love to happen between us. But, Katie, it wasn’t meant to be. We aren’t meant to be.” I ran my hand through my hair. I was saying everything all wrong. “I love you; I do. But I can’t live a lie anymore.” 

  


“You are living a lie?” Her voice was quiet. 

  


“I want more in my life. More than what we can be to each other; more than what’s possible for us. I can’t keep doing this, pretending that we are ok.” I tore my eyes away from her, unable to watch as I said the hardest part. “I’ve met someone else,” I whispered. 

  


I heard her suck in a breath, and I knew it was coming. I deserved it; and I would take her anger. 

  


“You son of a bitch! You cheated on me, didn’t you?” When I nodded, I heard her get up and walk over to me. She slapped me on the face, my cheek stinging from the contact. “You asshole. I can’t believe you did this to us.” 

  


“I’m sorry, Katie. I never meant for this to happen.” I still couldn’t meet her eyes. 

  


“And I suppose you expect me to forgive you because you apologized?” 

  


“No. I know you won’t, and you shouldn’t.” 

  


“Wait, you said you wanted a divorce. Oh my god, Edward. You want to be with her, don’t you?” I didn’t answer, and she huffed a laugh. “You are a pathetic mess, you know that? Since I met you all you ever talked about was a love that consumes you, that envelopes you...fairy tale, romcom bullshit! You, ever the romantic, will never find what you are looking for. Your idea of love is all crap, and now you’ve ruined what we have for that dumb idea.” 

  


“You’re wrong, Katie. It does exist.” 

  


“And you think you’ve found it with her, right?” My eyes met hers as she sat back down on the chair. “Once a cheater, always a cheater, Edward. How long do you think this will last before she finds someone else? She’s a homewrecker! Those women don’t stay with one man for long. You'll see.” 

  


“You’re wrong about that, too, Katie. We love each other.” 

  


“Ha! Love. Such bullshit, Edward. You fucked her, so the sex must be good. That's all that you have going for you two.” She rolled her eyes. “You are such a fucking idiot.” 

  


“I am sorry that I hurt you, I never meant for it to happen like this. But I do love her. I owe it to myself to see what we can be.” 

  


“And if she cheats on you, leaving you like you are doing to me?” 

  


My heart broke at the thought. I knew I couldn’t live without Bella. But Katie didn’t understand what we had, no one did or would. It was special, one of a kind, and it had nothing to do with the cheating. “I’ll deal with it. But it’s not going to happen.” 

  


“Ever the optimist, huh?” She leaned forward; her face fierce. “Fuck you, Edward. You’ll see that this whore just wants you for sex or money. And I hope you feel like this one day.” 

  


“I’m so sorry-”   


“I don’t want to hear your apologies. I’m going to figure out some place to stay, because I can’t even stand the sight of you anymore. You'll get your divorce, you asshole, but I'm going to take every damn thing I can from you.” She spit her words at me, before getting up and leaving the room. 

  


I sat in silence, guilt overwhelming me. I knew it was better that I had at least told her the truth, but I ached at how much I had hurt her. She wasn’t perfect – and certainly wasn’t perfect for me – but I shouldn’t have done this the way I did. It would have been easier if I had just asked for the divorce before cheating on her. I couldn’t take back what I had done, and telling the truth had set that free at least. The guilt that had resided in me since I came home from the hotel with Bella, and all the lies I had told since. I needed it out, but I was devastated at how I'd hurt her. 

  


She opted to sleep in our room, telling me that it was ‘her’ room now, and I wasn’t allowed in there. Again, that was fair. I slept on the floor in my office instead, given that it was the only other room in the house that had a door. I made a makeshift bed out of blankets, grabbing my pillow and my bathroom stuff – since I was using the guest bathroom now – and settled into the room as best as I could. 

  


Before I fell asleep, I texted Bella letting her know that I had told Kate. I knew more fighting would come in the morning, and probably every day until the divorce was final. Rather than worry about that, I fell asleep remembering every touch, every kiss, and every ‘I love you’ I'd had with Bella. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, isn’t she just the worst? Ok, I know, I shouldn’t say anything because I had Edward cheat on her, but she wasn’t great to begin with. Spending all of his money and practically demanding to live like a queen. My opinion, anyway. 
> 
> Shout out to the Facebook group Cheatward’s Spot! Check them out and get some amazing story rec’s! 
> 
> Also, don’t forget about my vamp fic called Twist of Fate. New chapter for that coming later today or tomorrow at the latest. Getting good, folks! 
> 
> Thanks again to my amazing beta, zombified419! I couldn’t do this without you – I say that and I know just how damn true that is!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope that my US readers enjoyed their holiday this week. Next, we finish out the interactions with Kate. It gets worse before it gets better, my friends. Read on, and more at the bottom.

Chapter 4 – EPOV 

  


The next few days were some of the worst I've ever experienced. Kate rotated between screaming at me or not speaking to me; the latter of which was easier to deal with. I avoided the common areas of my own home as much as possible, opting to basically live in my office. I got a mini-fridge and microwave, setting it up in a corner. That provided me some options for eating at least, but I still had to get a few things from the kitchen now and then. 

  


Katie had her friends over almost all the time. Every last one of them glared at me, or made snide comments. It was much easier to just live in my office and avoid them entirely, though I did understand why they were treating me like that. My own guilt at what I had done was gnawing at me, so I welcomed the abuse. I honestly felt like I deserved it. 

  


After visiting the apartment the week before, I made a decision that I would go ahead and sign a lease. Bella had decided to move in, but didn’t want to see it ahead of time. I hoped that she loved it as much as I did. The biggest thing I hoped was she would be surprised when I signed the lease. 

  


“You will have the option to purchase after a year, Mr. Cullen,” the property manager said to me Thursday after work. I couldn’t remember her name, but I smiled at her. “The lease is rent to own, so a couple months before it’s over, we will contact you to discuss purchase at that time. Subject to certain restrictions, of course.” 

  


“What restrictions?” 

  


“We have to pull your credit, you have to qualify for the mortgage, and you have to have been good tenants by that time.” 

  


I nodded. That seemed reasonable. I signed the paperwork, paying the whole first year at once. Smiling, I realized that I had just given Bella a full year of security, without having to stress about the loss of half of her savings, or however it worked out once Jake signed the bank paperwork. 

  


We discussed the move in date, which was a couple weeks out due to the condo being painted for us, and when I could get the keys and everything. I left the building happy for the first time in a couple weeks. I made my way home, picking up my favorite takeout food to enjoy in my office, and found an empty home. Kate must be out for the night. I took my food to my office, sitting at the desk to eat, just in case she came home. My cell ringing broke into my eating. 

  


Glancing at my cell, I smiled. “Hello Alice.” 

  


“What’s wrong?” 

  


“Why is something wrong?” I laughed, taking a bite of my food. 

  


“Somethings wrong with your voice. You sound weird. What's wrong?” 

  


I had forgotten about my psychic sister. I wasn’t ready to tell her yet, though, considering I knew she would turn around and tell Emmett and then Mom and Dad. I wanted to have conversations with each of them first. 

  


“Everything’s fine. Just really tired. The manager job is taking a lot out of me. Right now, all they have me doing is manager training, and HR classes, and stuff. I can’t even do real, regular work. And I haven’t been sleeping well, so, that’s probably all it is.” I glanced at the blankets on the floor. I hadn’t really slept at all because it was so uncomfortable. 

  


“You know I'll find out eventually, right?” 

  


I sighed. “Alice, I love you, but I just told you what was wrong. Now, what did you call for?” 

  


“I haven't talked to you in a couple weeks. Just wanted to check on you.” 

  


“That’s nice of you. I’m good, just eating. Probably head to bed soon.” 

  


“Ok, I’ll let you go. It's ok to call me now and then, Edward!” 

  


“I promise.” I hung up the phone and turned back to my food. 

  


The rest of the night was uneventful, and Kate never came home. By morning, I was upset with myself for not relocating into the bedroom for the night, since she hadn’t slept there anyway. It would have been nice to have gotten at least one night of sleep. 

  


On Friday, I was on the phone with Bella for almost the whole day. We were finalizing one of the last projects we were working together, so it was necessary. The side effect of spending the whole day talking to her was I was much calmer and happier by the time I left for the day. It was amazing that just her voice could make me feel like that. As soon as I got home, the good mood was ruined. I walked in to Kate and her friends in the kitchen. 

  


“Well, looks like the asshole is home,” Tonya said, sneering at me. 

  


“I wonder if he was out fucking his girlfriend today.” Irena scowled at me, sliding up to Kate and putting her arm around her. 

  


I nodded at them, and made my way to the bedroom. I grabbed a few sets of clothes when I'd moved out, but they needed to be washed. I grabbed a few more things, and was about to leave when I saw Kate standing in the doorway, her face passive. We stared at each other for a moment before she finally spoke. 

  


“I was hoping you would clear out this weekend.” 

  


“What do you mean, clear out? Like, go somewhere for the weekend, or move all my things out?” 

  


She shrugged. “I’d rather you just move out, but if you can just leave for the weekend that’s enough for now.” 

  


Nodding, I said, “I can stay at a hotel or something for the weekend. I have a condo that I rented, but it won’t be ready for a couple weeks. I'll move out as soon as I can.” 

  


She nodded once, turning on her heel and walking out of the room. Sighing, I grabbed my duffle bag and started throwing clothes in the bag, before walking to the bathroom to gather my stuff in there. Then I went to my office to get anything else I needed. I didn’t even glance at the kitchen, though Tonya and Irena both made snide comments, before grabbing my work laptop and walking out of the house. 

  


My guilt propelled me forward, and I ended up in the same hotel that Bella had stayed in. The same one where I told her I loved her. Somehow it felt appropriate. I hadn’t asked why she wanted me out, I didn’t really need to. Most likely she was planning a party for her and her friends and didn't want me to be a part of it. That was fine by me; one less thing to have to deal with. And honestly, I was giving her the condo in the divorce anyway. I didn’t want any part of it. 

  


Luckily the weekend was quite pleasant. The hotel had a gym, so I made good use of that, and I was able to watch movies on the TV. So far, I only had my laptop to watch anything on while in self-banishment in my office, so the TV was a step up. I spoke to Bella quite often, which helped tremendously. With her at Angela and Ben’s house, she was free to call me whenever, and I took advantage of that. 

  


I didn’t go back to the condo until after work on Monday. Kate was back to ignoring me, so I went back to living in my office. Through the next week, we lived around each other, not actually speaking. The weekend was quiet, mostly spent alone in my office as always. I was living like a hermit in my own house, yet I didn’t say anything. I knew how hard this was for her. 

  


Bella was visiting lawyers, and handling bank documents. I was living in my office. Though, I had made an appointment with my attorney. Without proper thought about consequences, I had made the call while I was at work. It was scheduled a week and a half later, being the soonest that he could fit me in. When I hung up the phone, I looked up to see my boss standing in the doorway. That had been a really awkward conversation, since I didn’t really know him that well yet. I told him about the divorce, and how I was trying to keep it quiet. He was an understanding man, thank god, and didn’t bring it up again. 

  


Thursday, four weeks to the day that I'd last seen Bella, I came home to Kate’s quiet attitude. Once again, I made my way to the office and settled in for another boring night. Before I had a chance to start a movie, or open a book, my mother called. 

  


“Edward, how are you dear? I haven’t talked to you in so long.” 

  


“I’m good, Mom. Just tired. How are you doing?” 

  


“Oh, fine. Your father wants to make plans to go back to British Columbia this summer, so we are starting to look at dates. Are you and Kate interested in coming with us again?” 

  


“Maybe, I'm not sure. I’ll get back to you. Kate may be too busy.” I really needed to tell them what was going on. What the hell was I waiting for. “Actually, are you guys busy this weekend? Any chance my amazing mother wants to make me dinner?” 

  


She laughed into the phone. “You don’t have to butter me up for a home cooked meal, silly. I’d love to have you two over. Saturday?” 

  


“Sure, that sounds good. See you then, Mom.” 

  


As soon as we hung up, I heard a knock on the door. I stood up, and walked over, opening the door to see Kate. She looked angry. 

  


“Have you not told your parents what’s going on yet?” 

  


“I was planning to tell them this weekend. Why?” 

  


“Because your Dad just texted me saying he’s looking forward to dinner this weekend? Are you shitting me? I’m not expected to be there, am I? Because I refuse to help you break it to your parents that you are a fucking cheater.” Her eyes were flashing, and her arms were crossed again. 

  


“No, no Katie. I’m going to tell them. Everything. And on my own; I don’t expect you to come.” 

  


“Did you tell them I was coming?” 

  


“No, Mom just assumed.” 

  


“Then call her back and tell her. I don’t want to have to text either one of them. This is your mistake, but they have to pay for it also. I refused to have anything to do with anyone in your entire family.” She threw her hair over her shoulder. “I don’t want to talk to you, I certainly don’t want to talk to them.” 

  


And just like that, every ounce of guilt was gone from my body, and I saw her for what she truly was. Every manipulative action, every derogatory comment, spending all my money, barely holding a part time job for a few weeks at a time, always begging me for more things...she was the toxin in my life. She was what had been bringing me down, causing me to forget love existed. As all these thoughts entered my head, I turned on her. 

  


“Because you are so perfect?” I seethed, stepping forward. She backed up, not expecting my anger. “Maybe I want to talk. We could sit down and talk about how much of my money you have spent over the last few years, Katie. Or about how horribly you’ve treated my family since we got married. What about how you’d rather spend time with your friends than me? Pick the topic, Katie. Let’s talk.” 

  


Her face got redder the longer I spoke. “Fuck you, Edward. You are the one who cheated.” 

  


I stepped closer to her and she reached the wall, pushing her back against it. I leaned down so I was looking at her directly in the eyes. “And why do you think I cheated, Katie?” 

  


It was a cruel thing to say, and I knew it. But I had finally found my clarity in the entire situation. There were reasons I had cheated, why I had gone outside of my marriage to find what I needed. Bella and I may have been soul mates, but that was really not the reason I started to look at her differently. It was because I was so unhappy that unconsciously I latched on to Bella. Now, the fact that we were perfect for each other did make a huge difference. 

  


“You son of a bitch,” she spit at me. 

  


“Don’t bring my mother into this,” I said, smirking at her, not leaning away. “Maybe if you had been a nicer person to be around, I wouldn’t have wanted to find anything, or anyone, else.” 

  


Apparently, that was her breaking point. She pushed me away from her, walking to the kitchen. I followed, knowing that the conversation wasn’t over yet. She pulled out a bottle of vodka, making herself a screwdriver. After she took a long sip of the drink, she turned to face me, eyes flashing again. 

  


“You never had a problem with anything I did before this tramp came into your life.” She pointed at me with a shaky finger. “You ruined us, Edward, not me.” 

  


“First of all,” I said, stepping closer to her again. “If you ever call her a tramp or a whore again, you will live to regret it. Secondly, I know what I did, but you cannot tell me that your attitude and the general fact that you never cared to be around me for too long helped our marriage.” 

  


“I never fucked anyone else!” 

  


“But you fucked me as much as you could, didn’t you? Why were you with me all these years, Katie? You find life easier when you don’t have to work and get everything handed to you?” I was going for broke at this point. I was angry and tired of dealing with all the shit going on around me. 

  


Her face reddened, and if anything looked angrier. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I loved you! That's why I'm with you.” 

  


“How much of my inheritance did you spend over the years?” 

  


“I-I don’t know! You didn’t have to give me anything, you know that!” 

  


“Didn’t I? What happened when I refused to buy you that sports car you wanted?” She bit her lip, but didn’t respond. “You started picking up my baseball trophies and throwing them against the wall, didn’t you? You screamed at me until I offered to buy you the car, didn’t you?” I moved a little closer to her. “Don’t tell me that’s not manipulative.” 

  


“At least I didn’t fuck anyone else!” I knew I was getting to her. 

  


“And that’s the only argument you have. Because I slept with someone else, every single thing you’ve done over the years means nothing?” I glared down at her, willing my calm exterior to remain. “Fuck you, Katie, and how you treated me over the years.” 

  


The fight continued from there; no matter what I said to her, pointing out things she had said or done over the years, she always brought it back to my cheating. It was the longest fight that we’d ever had, but I never lost my cool. I was angrier than I'd been in years, but I never raised my voice. She needed to know that she couldn’t get to me anymore. 

  


Finally, around 1am she got fed up. “I’m leaving. I can’t stay here with you one more second!” 

  


I shrugged, no longer caring. “I’m moving out in a week. If you don’t want to stay here until I leave, that’s up to you.” 

  


She walked into the bedroom, starting to pack her bags. I stood in the doorway, leaning against the door jam, waiting for her to say something. I watched as she stuffed most of her wardrobe into three separate bags. I almost laughed, considering it would only be a week. She left not long after that, not saying anything else. 

  


The next day I was exhausted, but had slept better in the bed than on the floor at least. Bella saw it right away, as soon as we video chatted. I noticed that she looked tired as well, but relaxed at least. Having her ex served the papers probably was a large relief to her. 

  


I hadn’t wanted Bella to worry, but I knew telling my parents would be a difficult conversation. Without a doubt, they would both be upset at the marriage ending. I was hopeful, though, that Mom would see just how happy Bella made me and that would be enough for her. Sitting at the dining table, drinking wine and eating, they both stared at me with strange looks. 

  


“I don’t understand. Why didn’t Kate come with you?” Dad asked, taking a sip of wine. 

  


I took a deep breath. It was now or never. “We are getting a divorce.” 

  


“What? Why? What happened?” Mom asked, setting her fork down. 

  


“We’ve been growing apart for a long time.” I leaned forward, ready to face the consequences of the decision I'd made. “I met someone else. I fell in love and I couldn’t, in good conscious, stay with her any longer.” 

  


This time, Dad set his fork down. They were both staring at me as if I'd just grown a second head. “Did you cheat on Kate, son?” 

  


I averted my eyes. “Yes. I know it was wrong, Dad. I understand what I've done. I told Kate; I was honest with her. I am moving out of the condo next weekend and giving it to her. I'm just taking my name off the mortgage paperwork.” I took a sip of wine, my mouth completely dry. “I promised her that she could just keep it.” 

  


“And you think giving her the condo makes up for cheating on her?” Dad’s eyes were unreadable, and his face passive. But I could hear the disappointment in his voice. 

  


“No, I don’t. But it’s all I can offer.” 

  


“For the mistake you made?” He finished for me. 

  


“No, it’s not a mistake. It was the best decision of my life.” 

  


“Explain that, please.” Mom leaned forward slightly. Her eyes were filled with tears, and it almost broke me. 

  


“This person I met, Mom. She's the most amazing person I've ever met in my life. She compliments me in every way; we fit together so perfectly. I love her, Mom. So much more than I ever thought possible.” 

  


“Love?” Dad scoffed. “You cheated on your wife with this woman, and you think it’s true love?” 

  


“Carlisle,” Mom admonished, placing her hand on Dad’s arm. “Look at him. He believes what he’s saying is true. If this woman is who he is meant to be with? Who are we to say anything about it? He’s an adult.” 

  


“He’s our son, Esme. And we didn’t raise him to be a cheater!” Dad’s voice rose a little at that statement. He turned to face me. “Edward, if you had feelings for another woman, you should have ended things with Kate first. Then, once the divorce was final, see if things would work out with this other woman. You did things backwards son!” 

  


“I know, Dad. She and I both were not expecting this to happen. She's unhappy with her husband, and I've been unhappy with Kate for a long time. It just sort of happened.” 

  


They both stared at me, and I realized that I hadn’t told them Bella was married before that. After that, Dad’s face became full-on angry. We fought back and forth for the next couple hours; I couldn’t make him understand. By the time I was leaving, he was calmer at least, but still unhappy about the situation. He bid me goodbye, and left to go to his office, saying he wanted to catch up on paperwork. 

  


Mom walked me to the door. “He’ll come around, honey. I know he will.” She kissed my cheek, hugging me close. “I just want you to be happy.” 

  


“I know, Mom. Thanks.” 

  


As I was driving home, I decided to bring Alice into the mix. She answered on the first ring, almost like she was expecting my call. 

  


“Are you ready to tell me yet?” She said, her way of answering her phone. 

  


“I’m leaving Kate. We are getting a divorce.” 

  


“Awesome! It’s about time! Mom and Dad know yet?” 

  


“I just left their house. They know.” 

  


“They freak out?” 

  


“Yeah, a little. Mostly over the cheating.” 

  


“The girl you were falling in love with at work?” 

  


“Yeah.” 

  


“I can’t wait to meet her!” Alice squealed into the phone. I laughed, and talked with her for a while longer. I tried to convince her not to bug Bella too much once she got here, but I already knew I wouldn’t be able to restrain Alice. 

  


By the time I got home, I knew that I had at least Mom and Alice on my side. I would call Emmett tomorrow and let him know, if Alice didn't get to him first that is. 

  


The rest of the week was quite peaceful. I made arrangements with Emmett and a couple of his friends to help me load up the truck I was getting over the weekend, with the property manager to pick up the keys to the condo, and then got all of my things together for the meeting with the attorney. I'd sent him a few things already, so he would be prepared to start drafting the documents for me. 

  


I had the best week alone in the condo. After confirming my vacation time the following week, I was able to finish packing up my office and all the clothes I had in the bedroom. As I wandered around the condo, I realized that most of the decorations were picked out by Kate. And none of them were really my style. For the first time in a long time, I sat down at my piano in the living room and played a little, thinking about how wonderful my life was going to be soon enough. 

  


The closer I got to the weekend, though, the more worried I became about Bella driving all the way up here on her own. I spoke to Alice about it mid-week, just trying to get some clarity on my feelings. 

  


“Duh. Just fly down there and drive with her. You know you want to.” 

  


“She hasn’t asked me to do that, Alice. Otherwise, I'd be there already.” 

  


“Of course, she’s not going to ask you. This is something you have to do for her, even though she hasn’t asked.” Alice huffed a laugh. “It’s a simple gesture, Edward. It means that you love her and don’t want her to drive alone.” 

  


“I know, that’s what I've wanted to do for some time now.” 

  


“Then just do it!” 

  


Making up my mind, I got the airline ticket purchased for first thing Sunday morning, before asking Emmett to make sure his friends were available on Saturday instead of Sunday. Everything was working out, so the rest of the week was just a waiting game. And, of course, making sure Bella didn’t know I was coming down to help. 

  


The meeting with Aro, my attorney, was long and tedious but it was a tremendous relief. I had put it off for too long, and I honestly didn’t know why I had. He and I both expected her to counter, assuming the condo and her car weren’t going to be enough to sustain the lifestyle she was used to. There were some laws surrounding ensuring your non-working spouse was taken care of, and I was expecting her to get a lawyer that pinpointed those in response. Nothing I could do about it, so I moved through the weekend without giving it further thought. 

  


After getting the keys to the condo, I drove to get my truck, stopping by the furniture store first. Alice helped me pick out a bedroom set a few days before, so I wanted to make sure it was in the truck before heading over to the condo. The homeowner’s association required all moving to go through the freight elevator, and it made it much harder to get everything downstairs. Mostly the piano. The rest of the stuff I was taking were all in boxes, so those were piled onto a hand truck I had rented with the truck. 

  


Finally, it was the end of the night, and I was totally moved out of my old life, and ready to begin my new one. The only thing I needed now was Bella. After sleeping on the couch – because I didn’t want to sleep in the new bed without Bella – I made my way to the airport, tapping my foot as I waited, so that I could bring my love back home with me. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, her bitchiness just rolled off my fingers fairly easy. What are your thoughts on Kate and her fight with Edward? Interested to hear what you guys think so far. 
> 
> Reminder to read my Twist of Fate vamp fic. 18 chapters posted so far! 
> 
> I am very grateful that you are all reading my story. Thank you all so much!! 
> 
> Thanks again to my amazing beta zombified419 for all of your help in editing and running ideas by you, etc. I appreciate you so much!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again friends! I hope that you all had a great week :) Here is Edward’s version of getting to California, and the drive. I hope that you enjoy!

Chapter 5 – EPOV 

  


By the time I landed in Sacramento, I was panicking. Since I was trying to surprise Bella, I couldn’t ask for her address. Which meant that I had no idea where she was. For a moment, I just sat down in the airport wracking my brain thinking of how I was going to find her in a city this big. I had acted impulsively, sure, and now I was paying for it. 

  


Finally, my brain started to clear and I realized that Bella had given me Angela and Ben’s cell numbers, just in case. I searched through the text conversation with Bella trying to find the numbers. Smiling, I relived all the sweet conversations we’d had over the last month, missing her and loving her even more. Eventually I found the numbers I was looking for, and clicked on Ben’s to call. For some reason I thought calling him would be better than Angela. Perhaps, he would understand the bind I put myself in. 

  


He answered on the second ring. “Hello?” 

  


“Hi, is this Ben Cheney?” 

  


“Yeah, who is this?” 

  


“Hey, you don’t know me, but my name is Edward Cullen. I flew in to surprise Bella and realized that she never gave me your address. I’m sorry if this is weird, but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise by calling her.” 

  


“Oh! Um, hold on a sec. No, Ang, go ahead. You and Bella need this today. I'll be fine. What? It’s just Tyler. We are talking about getting together for a baseball game next weekend.” There was shuffling, and then what sounded like a kiss. “Have fun you two! I’ll see you in a couple hours.” 

  


I remained silent, not sure of what I should do. He shuffled the phone a couple more times, before he came back on the line. 

  


“Sorry, they were just heading out the door. So, Edward, huh? And you flew down here to surprise Bella?” His voice sounded like he was teasing me a little. I liked him immediately. 

  


“Thanks for not blowing my cover, man. I don’t know what I was thinking coming all the way down here and not knowing how to get to her.” 

  


“You here so she doesn’t have to drive all the way to Seattle alone?” 

  


“Yeah.” 

  


“Well, then let me give you my address.” He proceeded to rattle it off and I realized I didn’t have anything to write on. 

  


“Hey, can you text it to me? I’m going to catch a cab. How long does it take to get there from the airport?” I started walking toward the front, looking for the ground transport signs. 

  


“In Sacramento traffic? Probably 30 to 45 minutes. Easy.” 

  


“Seriously?” 

  


“Yeah. Traffic sort of sucks here.” He chuckled. 

  


“Ok, well I'll see you in 30 to 45 minutes then. Thanks, Ben, I appreciate it.” 

  


“No problem, Edward. See you soon.” 

  


I hung up and started searching for the ground transportation area, I heard my cell go off. One text from Ben with the address, and a missed text from Bella telling me that she loved me. I responded to them both, and pocketed my phone to go hail a cab. 

  


It took almost 15 minutes just to get one, though. I considered getting an Uber, but didn’t want to deal with downloading the app. Instead, I waited in the taxi line until I was up. I gave the driver the address, and we were speeding off toward Ben and Angela’s house. I had never been to the Sacramento area before, so I was taking in all the sights. The city itself seemed to be mostly suburban housing developments. I wasn’t sure where downtown was in relation to where I was, or where I was going, but where we were didn’t appear to have many businesses. 

  


Then the driver got off the freeway, and we were flying around a fairly large street. There were shopping centers, gas stations, grocery stores, and bookstores everywhere I looked. I decided that this was probably the downtown area? Who knew? I just sat back and watched the area as he got me closer to Bella. 

  


We pulled into a small neighborhood sometime later, filled with houses of all shapes and sizes. This wasn’t any kind of standard subdivision. Not soon enough, the driver pulled up to the address I had given him, a small single-story house that was white with red trim. I paid him and got out with my backpack, making my way up to the house to ring the doorbell. 

  


A dark-haired man wearing glasses answered the door. He was about as tall as I was. He smiled at me. 

  


“Edward?” 

  


“Ben?” 

  


I reached forward and he took my hand shaking it firmly. “Come on in. They are still out; I don’t expect them back for a bit.” He stepped back, letting me walk in the house. 

  


I took in my surroundings. It was small, but larger than it appeared to be from the outside. The entryway opened into a living room, with a walkway to the kitchen on the right-side of the house. From the doorway, you could see all the way down the hall into where I assumed were the bedrooms. Two-bedroom? Maybe three? 

  


Ben led me into the kitchen, offering me some coffee, which I took gratefully. He sat down at the table opposite me, getting his own cup. For a moment we both focused on the coffee in front of us, rather than speaking. 

  


“So, Ben,” I said, trying to figure out how to formulate the questions I had for him without sounding like an idiot. “Tell me about Jake.” 

  


To my surprise, Ben laughed. “You mean the asshole? Sure, I can tell you about that son of a bitch.” I glanced up at him and, while he was smiling, his face was fierce. “He’s always been loud, you know? Like, don’t piss the guy off. Ang never liked him; I'll tell you that much. But she loves Bella and wanted her happy, so she always held her tongue. And trust me, for Ang, that’s hard to do!” 

  


We both laughed. “Bella says that he never hit her before?” 

  


Ben sobered quickly. “That depends on your definition. He hit her with emotional abuse for years, man. Ang is sure of it. She said that the last two years were better, from her perspective, but when Bella moved in here, we got the full story.” 

  


“Which is?” I leaned forward, eager to hear this. 

  


“Bella was going to you first, Ang second. Ang and I only got a portion of what he was actually doing. So, where we thought it was getting better, it was actually getting worse. She just had someone else to talk to.” 

  


I sat back in a huff, running my hand through my hair. “Fuck. I knew I should have come down here and killed the jackass.” 

  


Ben laughed humorlessly. “Well, he could certainly use an ass kicking session, that’s for sure. I don’t understand how you could have someone like Bella, such a gentle person, and treat them like that.” 

  


Shaking my head, I agreed with him. I looked at him again, wanting him to understand. “I love her, Ben. If she lets me, I'm going to spend the rest of my life protecting her.” 

  


He regarded me with careful eyes. “Well, I'm not her keeper or anything, Edward. I'll support Bella in what she wants, not you because you said that. Get me?” 

  


“Yeah, I do. And that’s fair. I just wanted you to know.” 

  


“I appreciate it, man, I do. But Ang is the one you need to convince, not me. I’m cool just because you showed up. That tells me how much you care about her, and that’s all I needed. I’m all for romantic gestures.” We both laughed again, sipping our coffee. “Ang is tougher, and I love her for it. She ranted about calling the cops on Jake for almost 2 hours before she finally let Bella get some rest. I’m telling you, don’t be scared of me, man, be scared of my wife!” 

  


“Why didn’t she call the cops?” 

  


Ben glanced at me, smiling. “She didn’t want to have to stick around to testify. She wanted to get to Seattle.” 

  


“Fuck.” I ran my hand through my hair again. “God damnit. I almost wish I didn’t know that.” 

  


“I get it. From both sides. Between you and me, though? Charlie will take care of it.” 

  


“Charlie? Bella’s dad, right?” 

  


“Yeah. She tell you much about him?” 

  


“Just that he’s a cop...” Ben grinned, as realization dawned on me. “Ah, Charlie will take care of Jake. I get it.” 

  


“Yeah, man, so don’t worry.” We continued the conversation, and I got to know Ben a little more. It was clear that he was just a genuinely nice guy. We didn't have much in common, considering movies and books we liked, but we had a shared love of baseball and spent some time discussing that. 

  


“What time do you think they will be back?” I checked the clock on my phone. It was almost 4pm. He and I had talked longer than I thought. 

  


“Anytime.” Ben glanced at his phone. “Oh, I missed a text. Ang said they were heading home about 20 minutes ago. So, literally anytime now.” 

  


I heard the front door open, and my heart started racing. Ben glanced up, indicating that I should stay where I was. 

  


“Ladies, you look lovely. I want you to meet my new friend,” Ben said, smirking down at me. 

  


I stood up and turned around, grinning like an idiot to finally be seeing Bella again. It had been one month, but that was too long. Her face was pale and beautiful, her hair trimmed and styled. She was amazing, and I realized right there just how much I'd missed her. I braced myself as she ran into my arms. Lifting her slightly, I inhaled deeply, enjoying the unique smell of Bella. 

  


“What are you doing here?” she said, hugging me tightly. 

  


“I didn’t want you to drive all that way by yourself. I got us into this, right? I needed to come down and help you.” I kissed her head, thankful that I had come. I'd needed her more than I'd even let myself believe. Being with her now was exactly what had been missing in my life the last month. 

  


We stared at each other for a while, and I felt a familiar stirring. I stomped it down, knowing we were not in the right place for that thought. But I continued to stare, just taking her in. We both almost jumped at the clearing of a throat behind us. 

  


“Oh, I’m so sorry!” I set her down, keeping my arm around her, as she turned to face Angela and Ben. “Ang, Ben, this is Edward Cullen. Edward, Angela and Ben Cheney.” 

  


Angela stepped forward, almost shoving Bella out of the way, throwing her arms around me. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Been listening to Bella talk about you for two years!” Then, with a much quieter voice. “Thank you for loving my best friend.” I laughed, not knowing how to respond, and hugged her back. 

  


We decided to go out to dinner after that, Bella wanting to go to a restaurant she loved to frequent. Having seen very little of the city, I was excited to go. Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered. If she had wanted to stay home that would have been fine also because I got to spend time with her. We had opted to take one car, since parking was usually an issue at this restaurant, so Bella and I sat in the back together. I held her hand the entire way, just happy to be close to her. 

  


The wait at the restaurant was long, but I was enjoying the conversation. Ben and I continued chatting, as we had at his house, and I found myself really liking him. My initial thoughts of him had been very accurate, I just hadn’t realized how funny he was. We joked and laughed almost the whole time we were waiting, while Angela and Bella watched us. They would join in now and then, but mostly they let us get to know each other. I made sure that Bella was never too far away, though, just having this need within me to keep her close. 

  


Dinner was great, and we ended up closing the restaurant down. They closed at 10pm, and we were finally asked to leave by 10:30. The traffic wasn’t as bad at that time, but they lived some distance from downtown – or, Old Sac, as they called it. We stopped and got gas on the way back, which sort of caused me to feel agitated. I just wanted to be in Bella’s room, holding her. It was almost midnight by the time we got there. 

  


After Bella and I made love that night, I held her close to me, basking in her warmth. She fell asleep almost immediately, but this time it was me who couldn’t sleep. I stared at her, holding her close, for over an hour before my eyes finally felt heavy. If this kept up, I would never sleep again. I was just so happy to be with her again, and this time it was permanent. 

  


We were saying our goodbyes and Angela came over to me, wrapping me in a tight hug. 

  


“Promise me that you will treat her right. Make sure she feels loved every day. Never make her feel the way he did, ok?” she whispered to me. 

  


“I promise, Angela.” I leaned back and smiled at her, before turning to Bella. “Ready to go?” 

  


Once we had said our goodbyes, we were on the road. I was quiet, staring out into the countryside that I'd never seen before. Amazingly, growing up in Seattle hadn’t really given me that many opportunities to travel south. For the most part my parents stuck to the Pacific West Coast’s northern region. When we went on vacations, we would stick to Seattle, southern British Columbia, Alberta or Alaska. We had taken a trip to Portland once when I was a teenager, but that was about it. This was my first time in California, and I was enthralled by the state so far. 

  


We didn’t talk much in the first leg of the trip. We discussed Bella’s need to go shopping, which of course brought up Alice. I knew that my sister was excited to meet Bella; I only hoped that I could reign her in some. I didn’t want my overly excited sister to scare Bella with her attitude. After telling her about my sister’s response to my revelation of being in love with her, a year ago, Bella became quiet. 

  


At first, I thought I had said something wrong, but I shrugged it off. We were both tired, though staying up late last night had been totally worth it. It was like having a piece of what we would always have as of tonight. Sleeping in a shared bed, not worrying about her leaving and going back to him. 

  


As I sat there, staring at the passing scenery, I realized how peaceful my life was already. It was like an aura of contentment had settled around me, engulfing me in pure bliss. If I had ever doubted that Bella was the right person for me, today just blew that all out the window. We were quiet, sitting in the car, getting closer and closer to our new home together. It was euphoria personified. 

  


“It’s beautiful here,” I said, after some time of silence. I wasn’t just talking about the landscape, though it was very pretty. The sense of completion and perfection in the car was also beautiful. I smiled internally, just so happy that my life was finally getting on track. 

  


After driving for a couple hours, I was starting to get hungry. We hadn’t eaten at Angela and Ben’s, assuming we would find something on the road. When I saw a sign for a diner coming up, I suggested stopping. Bella’s answer was short, and I wondered again if she was ok. But when we got out and I reached to grab her hand, she didn’t take it reluctantly, so maybe I was overthinking everything. 

  


  


“What’s wrong, Bella? You’ve been really quiet for a while.” I wanted to touch her, but we were sitting on opposite sides of the table. So, instead of bringing her into my arms, I grabbed her hand. I wanted to have a connection with her, even if it was small. 

  


“You were quiet, too. I thought something was wrong with you. Are you ok?” 

  


“Of course. Tired, but last night was totally worth losing sleep.” I studied her for a minute. “You sure you are ok?” 

  


“I’m fine. I’m tired also, but good other than that.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. 

  


Breakfast was wonderful, and I was feeling much better. About hunger, anyway. Bella on the other hand was worrying me even more. I analyzed every word and mannerism through breakfast, and I realized something was off about her. She was hiding something from me. 

  


I moved to sit in the chair next to hers, my eyes scanning her face for any clue as to what was going on. I watched her close her eyes, and I waited patiently, just hoping she would be honest with me. I couldn’t solve anything if I didn’t know what it was that was wrong. 

  


When it finally came out, I could have slapped myself for being so stupid. The dumb comments I'd made about loving Kate, about not seeing myself cheat on her...what the hell was I doing to Bella every time I made an off-hand comment like that? I tried to explain, hoping she would understand. I wasn’t sure I was breaking through, because I watched her eyes fill with tears as I finished. She let out a sob, and threw herself into my arms. Shifting, I pulled her into my lap just so I could hold her closer. 

  


There were many things I didn't tell her about Kate. I really never believed in speaking bad about other people – the sole exception being her ex-husband – so I didn’t want to just bad mouth Kate. She had her flaws, as we all do, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell Bella how much of a bitch I saw her to be. 

  


Thankfully, my story got through to her. She apologized, which really wasn’t necessary, and I encouraged us to just get back on the road and go home. I paid for the meal and led us back out to her car. Before she could get in, though, I cornered her, my arms on either side of the car, pushing her back into it. 

  


“I love you, Bella. Please never forget that. I'm not saying it for any other reason besides the fact that it’s the truth. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you. I don’t think, in the history of the entire world, that anyone has ever loved anyone as much as I love you. Please, baby, try to remember that?” 

  


My eyes bored into hers, willing her to see the total truth coming out of my mouth. She smiled at me, bringing her arms around me and kissing me softly. 

  


“There’s just one exception,” she said, smiling widely. I smiled back and brought my lips down to hers again. 

  


We had a lot to figure out in this new relationship. I just hoped that going forward we would do it together, without giving the other time to wallow in doubt. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o, thoughts? My favorite part of this chapter was being able to have Edward and Ben talk. When I wrote this chapter from Bella’s POV in Inappropriate Love, I always imagined that Edward would ask Ben about Jake. No matter how far we get away from the abuse, Edward can’t forget it. The woman he loves, right? In my head, Edward would feel consumed with guilt to a degree that he hadn’t been able to protect her from Jake’s abuse. And I get that. You always want to protect those you love. 
> 
> See, Edward didn’t want her to be alone in this. They had decided to cheat together, but he feels like he started it with that first kiss. Does that make sense? Maybe that’s just an insight into my mind? LOL. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks as always for reading! And thanks to my beautiful beta, zombiefied419 for all of your help! Don’t forget to read my vamp story Twist of Fate! New chapter coming up tomorrow!
> 
> Till next time! This is basically done written, by the way. Ten full chapters from Edward, aimed to match perfectly – fitting in like pieces of a puzzle :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is way earlier than I normally update, but I’m excited. I finished the entire story – yes, all chapters are written and beta’d, so I couldn’t wait to share. Also, if you are reading this after having read Inappropriate Love (which is definitely what you should do!), then you know there is a trigger warning in this chapter. This time you get to hear what Edward was thinking while Bella was freaking out. I hope I did his side justice.

Chapter 6 – EPOV 

  


After I reassured Bella, the rest of the drive was great. We continued the drive up I-5 through the northern part of California and up to Medford, Oregon before Bella and I switched places. As we drove through Oregon, Bella commented on how pretty it was there. I smirked as I thought of all the places that I wanted to take her and how prettier those places were. 

  


I started to mentally calculate all of the places that I would have to take her now that she was living in my neck of the woods. British Columbia was necessary; it was just amazingly beautiful. I could simply take her on a ferry around Puget Sound, that would be really fun. There are parts of the Pacific Coast that were really pretty, though always cold. And Alaksa was a must; my family and I took camping trips up there during the warm portion of the year, and it was totally worth the trip. 

  


The last couple hours of the trip felt like they drug on forever. My excitement about getting home – OUR home! – was taking over in full force, and I was almost antsy as I saw the sign for Tacoma. I knew that we were getting closer, and I couldn’t wait to actually get there. I drove us past the airport, getting deeper into the city. Finally, we reached our exit, and I zoomed off the freeway, my excitement getting the better of me. 

  


Though it was already dark, the skyline of the city, including the piers we drove by, were still visible. The lights coming off of the water around us was amazingly beautiful, and Bella was totally transfixed. She didn't say anything, but her head was plastered to the window, looking everywhere. I smiled smugly to myself, knowing that the real view would be in the morning. Elliot Bay was so beautiful when the sun was up. 

  


When we finally got to our building, I was a little nervous. Since she had never seen the place I’d rented for us, I was worried suddenly that she was going to hate it. But I helped to collect our bags and walked her in, hoping that she wouldn’t have any issues with what I'd chosen. 

  


Bella’s eyes were wide when I picked her up to carry her into the apartment. She was grinning, but I had a feeling that something like this, a simple gesture, was not something she was used to. I set her down carefully, vowing to make sure simple, loving gestures were a part of our lives going forward. She needed to feel loved every day, and I was damn sure going to do that. 

  


The problem was that I hadn’t consulted her about the apartment. The money got in the way; which was really ironic considering Kate would have been happy to not worry about money at all for a full year. I bit back a scowl remembering Kate and how often she would charge up her credit card, only to ask me to pay the balance. It was really angering to me how careless she was. But when Bella started talking about a partnership, and making sure I didn’t spend that much on her, I realized that was not something Kate and I had ever had. Unless you count her spending the money I made a partnership... 

  


After making love on our new bed, I saw Bella start to fall asleep, but I decided that I wasn’t done with her yet. Her story of how selfish Jake had been lit a fire of two things in me: hatred and competition. I hated Jake for making her feel like less of a person, and I was convinced that I could do a better job than he did. 

  


Rolling Bella over again, I kissed her hard, pushing my body against hers. I was starting to get hard again, as it seemed to be a constant state when I was around Bella, and I ground myself into her. Moaning, she moved her legs around me, pushing back into me. 

  


“Again already, Edward?” she moaned, as my lips started to trail down her neck. 

  


“Remember our first night, baby?” I smirked, sucking the skin where her neck connected to her shoulder. “And now it’s different. I can take you whenever I want to. I mean, whenever you want me to.” 

  


“I’ll always want you, Edward.” 

  


I leaned back, staring into her eyes. “And I'll always want you, too. Are you too sore though?” 

  


She shook her head, a smile forming on her lips. “Never.” 

  


She pushed on my chest, bringing her legs down, and then sat up. We were both on our knees, holding each other, lips pressed together. She had a glint in her eye, so I wasn’t sure what she was planning. I groaned when she rolled over, leaning down so she was on her hands. Her amazing ass stared up at me, and I grabbed her hips immediately. 

  


“Fuck, Bella,” I said, lining myself up to her. I groaned as I pushed in, the new sensation hitting me full force. 

  


“Hmmmm, yes, Edward. Fuck me.” 

  


I didn’t need any more encouragement. I gripped her hips and started pushing in her, slowly gaining speed until the only sounds in the group were moans and slaps of skin together. Soon, Bella’s arms collapsed, and she rested her head on the bed. I leaned over, grabbing her breasts with my hands, still slamming into her as hard as I could. Since I'd already come earlier, I knew I could last a little longer. I wanted to make sure this was enjoyable for her. 

  


One hand slipped down her body, while the other continued to roll her nipple around. I found her clit, and started circling that with my fingers, trying to increase her pleasure. 

  


“Fuck, Edward, oh my god.” Bella ground backward into me, her back arching slightly. “Oh god, please, please,” she said, pushing again. As if she needed to beg for anything; I would always give her whatever she wanted. “Don’t stop. Oh, god, don’t...” 

  


I knew she was going to come before I felt it. I watched in fascination as the blush I loved so much spread down her back, the skin erupting with goosebumps. Just a split second after that, she gripped me and shuttered, screaming as she came. The visual of what I did to her body, plus the scream, sent me right over the edge as well. 

  


Bella collapsed on the bed, and I went with her. I covered her body lightly with mine, my chest on her back. I kissed her neck, her shoulder, and up to her ear. 

  


“I love you so fucking much,” I whispered into her ear, before taking it into my mouth. My hands gently caressed down hers, which were pushed under the pillow her head was on. I entwined our fingers together, squeezing slightly. 

  


“It’s definitely going to be a problem.” Bella’s voice was slightly muffled. She turned her head slightly, so she could talk easier. 

  


“What’s a problem, baby?” 

  


“I’m never going to be a contributing member of society if you keep doing that to me.” She giggled, and I huffed a laugh as she pushed up a little, making me sit up so she could turn over. Unable to be too far away from her, I laid back down and settled between her legs to snake a hand under her shoulders. I leaned down and kissed her, opening my mouth to deepen the kiss. 

  


Her feet wound around mine, and we stayed like that for some time. Her hands caressed softly down my back, as my tongue caressed hers. Eventually, though, my arms started to shake so I had to move. I shifted so that I was lying on my side, and she mirrored my position. I stared into her eyes. 

  


“I’m afraid to go to sleep,” I confessed, my hand tracing her lips and face. 

  


“Why is that? Scared of the dark?” she joked. 

  


“Because I'm afraid this is a dream and you aren’t really here.” 

  


“It’s real, baby. I'm here and I love you.” She smirked, remembering that I had said that our first night together. “And this time it doesn’t have to end. I’m here to stay; I'm never leaving you again.” 

  


I shifted closer, kissing her softly. I didn’t know what to say in response, so I just kissed her again and again. Soon, I noticed that her eyes were closing. I shifted to my back, pulling her closer to me, kissing her forehead. 

  


“Sleep, baby. We have the whole rest of the week to do this.” 

  


“And the rest of our lives.” 

  


~~ 

  


The next morning, I woke up alone. For a moment, I was disoriented, trying to figure out where I was. Though I had slept in this apartment before, it was the first time sleeping in the bedroom. With the shades drawn, it was extremely dark and I couldn’t tell what time it was. I got up and searched for my shirt and boxers, but I couldn’t find them. Instead, I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and wandered into the kitchen. I found Bella standing in the kitchen, staring into the bare cupboards. 

  


Once we established that coffee was essential, I took her through the streets to get to Starbucks. I internally cringed as we walked in, knowing that I wouldn’t be happy with the sludge they sold here. But Bella was happy, and that’s all that really mattered. 

  


After we got home and Bella made breakfast, things seemed perfect. Unfortunately, that perfect lasted for about five minutes. When she tripped and fell, breaking my favorite coffee mug, all hell broke loose. I was not prepared for her tears, and the first thought I had was she had significantly hurt herself. Once I figured out what was going on, though, I wished she had only hurt herself. This hurt was much deeper than I could fix. That asshole had really tried his hardest to ruin her spirit, her very nature, and anger boiled up inside me. 

  


Though I promised her I would never treat her that way, I was scared that she didn’t truly believe me. If that was what she had known as long as she’d been married to him, it would take time to undo that damage. 

  


I led her to the couch and pulled her close to me. My mind was swirling with possibilities of what I could do to help her understand that I was a different man than him. She snuggled close to me and I just held her, watching her eyes droop and then finally close. I figured that the abundant emotions had probably exhausted her, so I let her sleep. I had a lot to think over anyway. 

  


I was trying to remember any sort of advice that I'd gotten from my mother, Alice, or any ex-girlfriend I'd had. But I simply didn’t have much experience with this sort of thing. Jake had clearly held control of their house, and made Bella bend to his wishes. He yelled at her for the smallest things, demeaned her when she forgot something he felt was important, and finally hit her when she did something against his will. 

  


I just wanted to wrap her up in my arms and never let her go. Make her feel loved every damn day, and make sure that she never had that kind of reaction again. Not because it was embarrassing for me, or anything like that, but because I didn’t want her to have to worry over my reaction to everything. I wanted her to trust me, to know how much I loved her each and every day. I had absolutely no idea what to do for her. 

  


Without moving too much, I fished my phone out of my pocket and started googling how to help someone in an abusive relationship. There were many hotlines listed, but I wasn’t sure if she would be willing to talk to someone. Plus, if she was willing, I'd rather it be a licensed therapist who could see her often and help her work through the trauma that he had inflicted on her. 

  


Finally, I found an article on how to help those you love who had been in abusive relationships with intimate partners. It explained the difference between parental abuse and partner abuse, stating that while they are similar in that the victim loses the ability to trust those that they should be able to, when you add sex into the mix, it makes the trauma impact the victim in a different way. 

  


The article stated that I needed to be careful, and not push her, otherwise I was likely to build a wall between us if she felt cornered. Stemming from the abuse that she was used to, I had to be cautious of her reactions. It said to take note of the things that pushed them into ‘episodes’ of vividly remembering the abuse, and to be wary of putting either of us in a position to reenact any of those events. 

  


The interesting part, for me anyway, was that I shouldn’t push her to talk about it. That she had to reach out to me to discuss what happened. It said that often victims feel embarrassed or weak as a result of the abuse, and it was important that she feel comfortable with me to bring it up on her own. 

  


As I sat there, holding the most important thing in the world to me, I felt tears start falling down my face. All I wanted to do was love her, but I had to be careful about doing it. Her ex-husband had caused deep damage to the woman I loved, and I needed to be there for her while she worked through it. I wasn’t upset for myself – because I would quite literally do anything she wanted me to – but I was upset that she had to go through it, and now had to deal with the repercussions. 

  


I wiped away the tears and continued reading the article. It said that the best thing I could do for her was to make sure she knew I wasn’t like him. That I loved her, and would never hurt her. It talked about key phrases to say, over and over if necessary, such as ‘it’s not your fault,’ and ‘this doesn’t change how I feel about you.’ I committed as much of the article to memory as I could before finally locking my phone and putting it back in my pocket. 

  


I would do right by Bella, I knew that for sure. I would be whatever she needed me to be, because I simply couldn’t let her continue to feel this way. I never wanted her to feel hurt or sad ever again – for things I could control, anyway. 

  


So, I sat there, continuing to hold her while she slept, and loving her while hating her ex-husband so much it almost consumed me. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It can be hard to love someone who has been hurt – physically or emotionally. I wanted to address his inner turmoil at how to help her, since I had covered all of her inner thoughts in the other story. I did the best I could, and I hope all of you understood where he was coming from. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought! 
> 
> Also, please be sure to check out Twist of Fate, my vamp fiction. I’m getting so close on wrapping that story. I’m really proud of it. 
> 
> Also, if you haven’t checked out Jgaff’s new fic “Cutie for Christmas”, this is a must! She’s updating it daily and the story is so sweet and fun for this time of year. I am really loving it. I found her on the Facebook group Cheatward’s Spot. Good fan fic recommendations! 
> 
> Thanks again to my beautiful/wonderful beta zombified419 for all of your help and encouragement. I don’t know how I wrote without you my friend.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again my friends! I was going to wait to post this until Sunday, but my weekend is getting full! Tomorrow is my birthday, so as a celebration of my favorite day of the whole year, I decided to post this year. I hope that you enjoy!

Chapter 7 – EPOV 

  


Bella woke up when the coffee maker turned off – it made a very loud beeping noise when shutting off. I suggested that we take a walk. As we walked, I tried to remember everything that I had read, which meant that I was staying fairly quiet. I decided while we were out that I needed to ask if she wanted to talk to someone, a therapist or something, about all of this. I would raise the question when we got home. 

  


Unfortunately, the question sort of got us started down a dark path – but one that I honestly felt Bella needed. I realized that she had been excusing his behavior the whole time she was with him, and the article I read stated that denial was a heavy part of abuse – on both sides. She needed to say the words to herself, and thankfully once she did, she agreed to see someone. 

  


After we finished eating, we were surprised by my siblings. Fortunately, the night went better than expected. Bella and her amazing personality won Emmett over faster than I thought possible; Alice had already loved her, but when shopping was suggested, she was over the moon excited. We had a wonderful dinner with them, but I was happy to see them go at the end of the night. 

  


I showed them out, and Bella said she was going to take a shower. Emmett stopped me after Alice left. 

  


“Really, she’s great, Edward. I do like her a lot.” 

  


“But?” 

  


“But you should have done it differently, man. You know that.” 

  


“I know. Cheating was never something I thought I would do. I swear, Em.” 

  


“I know, little bro. I get it, though. She's beautiful, funny, and honestly? She just fits right in with us. Kate never did, man. Bella’s great.” He smiled at me. 

  


“Can you forgive me, Em?” I knew how personal he was taking this. 

  


“Nothing to forgive. You’re my brother, and I want you happy. Clearly Bella makes you happy, so I'm cool. No worries, bro.” Emmett clapped me on the shoulder, walking out the door. 

  


I turned around and started cleaning up when I heard the shower going. I remembered the shower Bella and I had shared at the hotel, and not being able to touch her the way I wanted to because she was so sore. 

  


“Fuck that, she’s not sore tonight,” I said to myself, practically running to the bathroom. I took off all my clothes in the bedroom, before slipping into the shower, winding my arms around her from behind. God, she was amazingly beautiful and sexy. Just the mere thought of her in the shower had made me hard. “I was cleaning but I realized I was an absolute moron if I didn’t get in the shower with you. Cleaning over seeing you wet and naked? Yeah, my priorities weren’t in line.” 

  


She started laughing, turning in my arms to face me. She wound her hands around my neck and stared into my eyes. “I’m glad you set them straight then.” 

  


I laughed, then brought my lips down to meet hers. There was a fire inside me that happened every time my lips touched hers, and I couldn’t resist her in any way. I pressed myself up against her harder, pushing her slightly against the wall in the shower. I loved the way she moaned into my mouth, how her hands scraped the back of my neck, and how she felt in my arms. Lifting her up, I shoved her against the shower wall, pushing myself inside her in one stroke as she wound her legs around me. 

  


Fuck; there was nothing that felt as amazing as Bella. Her slippery skin made the sensation of being inside her even better than when we were just in bed. She was so tight around me that I almost came right there, but I held off wanting her to know just how much I loved her. I moved inside her rapidly, unable to move any slower. Again and again, I pushed myself inside her as my lips moved to her neck. 

  


I was getting close, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold out for too much longer. Suddenly, I remembered what she had said about Jake and how he had never taken her pleasure seriously. I never wanted her to think that way of me, so I released her carefully and dropped to my knees, throwing her leg over my shoulder. She made a surprised noise the second my tongue touched her. I licked and sucked as hard as I could, wanting her to fall apart in my arms. If I was being honest with myself, I wanted her to fall apart every day, all the time. 

  


Watching her come was almost spiritual for me. She ground into me, breathing heavy with her eyes closed. She came in my arms soon after, and I felt her legs give just a little. While she was still coming down, I stood back up and picked her up, sliding back inside her. She moaned in my mouth as I resumed my pace from earlier. But I totally lost it when she licked the side of my ear. 

  


“I love you Edward. Fuck me harder.” 

  


Groaning, I picked up the pace only to feel a tightening in my balls indicating that I was just about done. My eyes closed and I came inside her with one of the most powerful orgasms I've ever had in my life. 

  


“You are going to kill me. I'm sure of it.” I was still trying to catch my breath. I pulled back to look at her, smirking. 

  


“You started it.” 

  


I laughed. “You weren’t complaining.” I leaned down and kissed her again. 

  


“I’m still not.” 

  


As we finished washing ourselves in the rapidly cooling water, I couldn’t stop the feeling of rightness that surrounded me. Everything about being with Kate had been wrong. The longer I was with Bella, the more I saw that. Kate had never been right for me, and I had been the fool that stayed with her for too long. We made our way to bed and I just stared at her. Her wet hair was spread out on the pillow as her chocolate eyes met mine. 

  


“I love you so much, Bella.” I brought my hand to her face, enjoying her beauty. I had never meant those words more than I did right at this moment. 

  


“I love you, too, Edward.” 

  


Even though we had just made love, I wanted her again. But as I watched her eyes slowly slide shut, I realized that I couldn’t keep her up any longer. Today had been an emotional day for her, and she really needed rest. Instead, I wound my arms around her, pulling her close, and slipped into sleep as well. 

  


The next day, I woke before she did. Wanting to do the kind of surprise she said was ok, I went out into the kitchen and got the coffee going. I should have really done this last night, but the pull of Bella in a shower was too great. I straightened up a little in the kitchen, and when she hadn’t appeared, I went back into the bedroom. She was lying on her back, one arm thrown over the pillow, the other at her side. As always when I stared, I became hard. 

  


I slid my boxers and t-shirt off and kissed her leg softly. My hands traveled around her legs just marveling at how soft and strong they were. Sliding up her body, I kissed all the way up her leg as my hand settled on her breast, kneading it slightly. Just as her nipple started to pebble, I reached the center of her legs. While I kept one hand on her breast, the other came up to open her up. My tongue swiped all the way up, tasting and teasing her. I did this over and over just wanting the taste of Bella on my tongue. 

  


“Oh, god, Edward...” she moaned, arching into me. I looked up and her eyes were on mine, and she was smiling at me. 

  


I attacked her then, driving my tongue into her harder. I angled my fingers, putting two of them inside her as my tongue found her clit. I flattened it, licking her over and over while my fingers continued to move inside her. I was rewarded with the most amazing moans coming out of her mouth. When she started to clench around my fingers, I sucked her clit into my mouth and she came immediately. 

  


Once she had stopped thrashing, I crawled up her, lying down on her side. I kissed her slowly. “Your coffee is ready, love. Do you want to come out to the kitchen? Or I can bring it to you here?” 

  


She smirked at me, rolling on her side slightly, her hand falling down and starting to rub my impossibly hard cock. I grabbed her hand and moved it away, kissing her softly. 

  


“What about you, Edward? Don’t you want me to help you out, too?” 

  


I kissed her again. “It’s not always about me, love. I wanted to do something for you. Come on, we have a day filled with shopping ahead of us. Let's have our coffee and get going.” 

  


She followed me out into the kitchen, still looking sort of shocked, and I got her coffee ready, making sure to put enough creamer in. We sat down at the breakfast bar to drink the coffee; she stared at me for a few minutes before finally speaking. 

  


“I don’t understand. Isn't that painful?” 

  


“It’s already going down, Bella. I’m fine.” 

  


“Don’t you want me to help you, though?” 

  


I shifted in my seat, bringing my hand up to her cheek. “I always want you. Every second of every damn day I want you. But I want you to know something else that is so much more important.” 

  


She bit her lip, almost as if she was nervous about what I was going to say. “What’s that?” 

  


“That you mean more to me than sex. Your pleasure is mine, meaning that whenever I make you come, I feel complete. I don’t need my own orgasm to feel good when I'm with you.” 

  


I leaned over and kissed her, and she kissed me back for a moment, but pulled back staring at me. “I don’t want you to do something that is uncomfortable for you, as a result of what I told you about Jake. I love having sex with you, Edward. I don’t want you to purposefully ignore yourself for me.” 

  


“That’s just it, though, Bella. I want you to know that you are important to me. More important than anyone else is in my life. I never, ever, want you to feel like anything less than the best thing in my life.” I kissed her again, winding my arms around her and pulling her close. “I love you with everything that I have, and I want you to know that – to feel that – every single day.” 

  


She sniffed, and I leaned back, watching tears fall down her cheeks. I wiped them away as she laughed a little. “You already make me feel that way, Edward. You have never made me feel the way he did.” 

  


“Good. And I want you to think that for the rest of our lives.” I kissed her again and again. The feel of her lips on mine made me impossibly hard again. She brought her hand down to me again, and this time I didn’t pull her away. My impulse control was totally gone with this woman, so I couldn’t even make it to the bedroom. I pulled her off the chair and laid her down on the hardwood floor. 

  


Lying on top of her, I continued kissing her as I pulled off my boxers that she was wearing. She reached down and pulled mine down, kicking them off with her feet. I continued to kiss her as I pushed into her softly, slowly, simply enjoying the feel of her. She moaned into my mouth, and I slanted my face, deepening the kiss and slightly increasing my speed. But not too fast; I wanted to enjoy her. 

  


“I love you so much. So much that you consume me, Bella. I want to be with you forever,” I whispered into her mouth as I continued to push into her slowly. 

  


“Edward,” she moaned, gripping my shoulders tightly, digging her fingernails into my skin. “Please...” 

  


“Please what, love? I’ll give you anything.” I pushed my tongue into her mouth again, sliding in and out slowly. 

  


“Harder, Edward, please. I need you harder.” 

  


As if I could deny her anything. I finally picked up the pace, slamming into her harder and harder until I felt her start to clench around me. And for the second time today, I watched as I made her totally come apart in my arms. But I wasn’t nearly done with her yet. I kept moving, pushing myself to go even faster, ignoring the ache in my knees. Her head rolled back as her chest arched into me, and I latched on to her neck, kissing and sucking down to her shoulders. As I bit down on her shoulder, she came again, harder this time, screaming out as she had many times before. 

  


It was the screaming that caused me to finish finally. There were no words, just heavy breathing and moans as I shoved into her one final time, exploding within her. I rested my body on hers, desperate to not lose the connection I had with her. Soon, though, I needed to move. I didn’t want her to continue to be uncomfortable on the floor. 

  


Standing up slowly, I reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her up with me. She smirked at me. “Was that so hard?” 

  


I pulled her against me, smirking back at her. “You tell me, love. Was that hard enough for you?” 

  


She threw her head back, laughing, bringing her arms around me. “It was hard, Edward. Very hard. And I loved it.” She brought her hand up to my face. “I love you.” 

  


Leaning slightly, I kissed her hand. “I love you, too. So much.” 

  


After that we got dressed and decided to grab breakfast out. We had furniture shopping to do, and didn't want to waste more time at home. Not that being with Bella would ever feel like wasting time, but I knew that she wanted to get out and back before it got too late. 

  


Normally I hated shopping, which is why I let Alice do it for me. But with Bella it was really fun. We agreed on furniture faster than I ever had with Kate, and I found that we didn’t need that much time after all. After breakfast, we went to the furniture store and within 30 minutes we had picked out everything we needed. I paid, with her glaring at me, and arranged for our table and chairs, couch and a pullout couch for the guest bedroom to be delivered the next week. 

  


We made our way back home, making love again after lunch. I was in heaven living with her, and I really felt like it couldn't get any damn better. 

  


My attorney texted me on Thursday to tell me that they still hadn’t found Kate to serve her the papers. When I told Bella, she just shrugged. Kate couldn’t hide forever, and there wasn’t much to worry about. I had started the process and it would happen eventually. She just kissed me and told me not to worry, that she would be served soon enough. 

  


Jake still hadn’t responded to her paperwork, and I knew that she was worried about what would happen when he did. Cheating was never a good thing, especially when you were getting a divorce. Jake could contest everything she requested in the divorce and make life very hard for both of us. Hell, Kate could as well. I just held her that night knowing that no matter what they did it wouldn’t break us up. We were solid in our love, and however hard the divorces were it would be worth it in the long run. 

  


By Friday morning, though, I got nervous when my Mom called. I knew she wanted to meet Bella, she hadn’t exactly made that a secret. But I didn’t want to push Bella too much. She had already met my siblings, so really it was just about meeting my parents. 

  


“How is Dad about this, Mom? Is he going to be nice to her?” 

  


“Edward, your father would never be mean to anyone. You know that as well as I do. He’s worried, dear, and I'm sure you understand why.” 

  


I sighed, shuffling the phone slightly. I had taken the call in our bedroom while Bella was reading in front of the fireplace. “Let me ask her, ok? I don’t want to push her into meeting you guys if she isn’t ready.” 

  


Bella was amazingly calm about it, agreeing to visit them. I knew she was worried, so I made sure to reassure her all day long. I told her I loved her, I kissed her, I held her...I did everything I could to make sure she knew it didn’t matter to me at all what they thought of her. I loved her so much that they were bound to see that anyway, so I really wasn’t worried. Well, except for Dad’s reaction. I knew how upset he had been about the cheating. 

  


My fears were confounded when we finally got there. Dad’s expression worried me the second that he walked into the sitting room. And sure enough, he started in on her the second he could. My Bella was amazing, though. She took everything he threw at her in stride, explaining patiently and calmly what happened and why we together now. 

  


While we were eating, I kept focusing on what Dad had said about waiting to move in together until after we were both free. The thought of not living with her actually scared me; I couldn’t live in a place where she wasn’t, I didn’t want her to move out ever. I couldn’t even think about being separated from her in any way. There was nothing that could keep me from her. 

  


When we were on our way, Mom hugged me. “She’s lovely, Edward. I can see why you love her so much.” 

  


“She loves me, too, Mom. Just trust that we are really happy.” 

  


“I know, dear. I can see it. And I am so happy for you both.” 

  


When I hugged Dad, he didn’t say anything at first. “Please, Dad. Try to accept her. She's not going anywhere. I plan to spend the rest of my life with her.” 

  


He sighed, leaning back slightly. “You said that about Kate, too. I just want you to be careful.” 

  


“I will, but Dad...I never felt this way for Kate. Please, just trust me. You’ll see.” 

  


We left after that, and I was relieved. I loved my parents, but most of the night had been really uncomfortable for both Bella and I. I glanced at her as I was driving home, and she had a weird look on her face. She was planning something, and when I called her out, she just laughed. I knew she worried over my father’s reaction, but I also knew that he would come around eventually. 

  


As I held her that night, I looked at her in a new light. She had been gracious with my family, trying very hard to make them all like her. She was even spending the whole next day with my sister. I knew I loved her, but at that moment it completely consumed me. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you guys think? Some places I really wanted Edward’s thoughts, while others were sort of obvious how it would play out. I tried to pick some to focus on and some to skim over. I hope that you are enjoying it! 
> 
> Just a reminder, my vamp fic is starting to wind down. Please check out Twist of Fate – 22 chapters in already. How time flies! 
> 
> Thanks again to my beautiful beta, zombified419 for everything. Just freaking everything!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again friends! I meant to post this earlier in the week, but it’s been pretty busy around here. Only two chapters left after this one. I’m sad to see the little story go. So far, chapter 9 is beta’d, but I’m still working on 10. I don’t think I need an epilogue for this one either, so I'm not planning it right now. My plan is to have everything done by Christmas, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m stuck a little on 10 at the moment. 
> 
> Anyway, read on and enjoy!

Chapter 8 – EPOV 

  


I almost felt bad for Bella spending the day with my crazy sister. But it was her choice, and honestly it made me really happy that they were spending time together. I knew Alice didn’t have any problems with the cheating thing, and Bella needed someone in her life in Seattle that wasn’t me. Not that I would have any problem spending every spare second with her; I just knew that she should have others to hang out with also. 

  


After they left, I cleaned up the apartment a little; just straightening, really. There wasn’t much to clean. Bella sort of cleaned as she went, and nothing ever seemed out of place. I wanted to ask, but if it had to do with Jake and his treatment of her, I probably didn’t want to know. 

  


But by mid-morning I was out of things to do. So, I called Emmett to see if he was free. Unfortunately, he was on his way to a game so he could only talk for a short while. 

  


“How is that ball of fire, Edward?” Emmett asked. I could tell he was driving when he answered. 

  


“Where are you, man? And Bella’s great – wonderful, actually.” 

  


“I’m heading to a game. Rosie and I are heading out to the stadium.” Emmett taught little league baseball on the side, having such a love for the game. “I only have a few minutes, man. What’s up?” 

  


“Oh, nothing. I was going to see if you were free today.” 

  


“Sorry, Edward. Can’t let down my kids.” 

  


“I know, it’s cool, Em. Tell Rosie high for me ok?” 

  


“Huh? Oh, yeah. Listen, Ed, Rosie wants to invite you over for dinner tonight. That cool?” 

  


“I’m not sure that’s a good idea yet, Em. Let her down easy, though, ok? I promise that once Bella and I can be seen out together we will come. Ok?” I had completely forgotten about Rose. Damn. I made a mental note to talk to Bella about Rose when she got home. 

  


“Sure, Ed. Will do. Hey, have a good day, brother.” 

  


“Thanks, Em.” 

  


Hanging up, I glanced around wondering what to do next. My eyes focused on our balcony and I realized there was something that Bella and I had forgotten to shop for: patio furniture. I could go on my own, but I knew that Bella was still really worried about my Dad, so I decided to give him a call and see if wanted to join me. At first, I thought he sounded reluctant, but he agreed. We decided to meet for lunch at a restaurant near the store I wanted to go to. 

  


Grabbing Bella’s extra car key, I shoved my shoes on and jogged out to her SUV. Thankfully, she had thought ahead enough to get the key back from Jake before moving. There was no way I could get what I needed to fit in my car. 

  


When I pulled up in front of the restaurant, Dad was standing outside, but didn’t immediately look at me. He was probably expecting my car. I hopped out and walked over to him. 

  


“Hey, Dad.” I leaned in and hugged him quickly. “Thanks for meeting me.” 

  


“Hello, Edward. I didn’t see you pull in.” He hugged me back; that was a good sign. 

  


“I took Bella’s SUV. Easier to put patio furniture in her car than mine.” 

  


Dad looked uncomfortable for a minute, but then smiled. “That’s good. I was trying to figure out how we would put furniture in your car. Come on, let’s eat.” 

  


We walked in the restaurant and waited for the hostess to seat us. There was an uncomfortable silence that I couldn’t seem to break. I had no idea how to start a conversation with my own father about my girlfriend. He had been so angry with me the first time I told him about her. 

  


Once we were sitting at our table, looking over our menus, I decided to give it a shot. “So, Dad. What did you think of Bella?” 

  


He lowered his menu; his face passive. “She was very nice, Edward.” 

  


I leaned over the table a little. “I love her, Dad. She's not going anywhere. She's the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

  


His face didn’t change, but he kept his eyes on mine. “I understand that’s how you feel now, but what happens in a few months when the divorces are final? What if she finds someone else that she wants more than you? Then you have an apartment in the city by yourself, you’ve ruined your marriage and are all alone.” 

  


I regarded him silently for a moment. I knew that wasn’t a possibility that would happen, but it was so hard to explain how Bella and I felt for each other. I had to bring out the big guns in order to reach him. 

  


“Do you know how much of my inheritance Kate has spent over the years, Dad?” I didn’t give him long to think before continuing. “About half of what Grandpa left me.” 

  


His eyes got really wide. “Are you serious?” 

  


“Yes, very. First, when I refused to buy her a sports car she tried to demolish the apartment by throwing things. Then, when she wants to hit a sale, she always begs for me to ‘clear her card’ so she can afford to buy all these things she doesn’t need. She gets her hair done every two or three weeks, nails weekly, waxing everything, owns about a hundred pair of shoes.” I kept my eyes steady. “I could go on, Dad, but you get the picture, right?” 

  


He nodded but didn’t say anything. I’m not sure why I kept going, but I did. I needed him to understand. 

  


“Do you know where Bella is right now? Shopping with Alice. Do you know the last time Kate made an effort with Alice or Emmett? Never.” I leaned forward again. “Last night when we got home from your house all Bella could think of was how you hadn’t liked her. She was trying to figure out a way to fix it because she doesn’t want me to be hurt by any hard feelings that you have. She wasn’t thinking of herself, Dad, she was thinking of what it would do to me.” 

  


He still didn’t say anything, but was saved by the waiter coming up to take our order. Once he left, Dad looked at me and smiled. “She does seem to care for you a good deal. You are lucky, Edward. I suppose not everyone is like her.” 

  


“She loves me. With everything that she has gone through with her emotionally and physically abusive husband, the heart ache in dealing with everything in her life, she loves me. I am the luckiest man in the world that she loves me.” 

  


He leaned back in his chair. “What do you want from me on this? I can’t change how I feel about the cheating.” 

  


“I’m not asking you to, Dad. I just want you to understand the situation fully. No, I shouldn’t have cheated on Kate. I should have just left her and gotten away from the situation. But Alice will tell you for sure that I never realized exactly what my life was missing until I met Bella. I was blinded by our friendship for years and I never even considered leaving her, even while watching everything I loved being thrown out of my house because it didn’t fit her décor. I was blind when she didn’t spend time with my family, or want to do things that I cared about. 

  


“Dad, Bella moved two states away from her friends; farther away from her family in Arizona to be with me. Do you know why?” He shook his head. “Because she didn’t want me to have to leave my family.” 

  


At that, I stopped talking and let him absorb everything I had said. I knew that I had been harsh about Kate, and that troubled me to a degree. But he really needed to understand. I needed him to understand. 

  


Once our food came, we lapsed into silence and I didn’t try to break it this time. I wanted to see what he would say once he had thought about all of the information I had given him. It wasn’t until we were both almost done that he said something. 

  


“I’m sorry, Edward. I had no idea.” 

  


“I know, Dad. Part of the problem is that I had no idea either.” 

  


“And Bella isn’t like Kate at all?” 

  


“You mean, she’s not asking for money all the time?” Dad nodded. “I paid for one full year of the apartment that we are in, just as a surprise for her, so she wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while. Paying for a divorce is expensive, trust me, and I wanted to do something nice for her. She was pretty angry with me when she found out. She told me that we were partners, and that I couldn’t spend that kind of money on her.” 

  


Finally, Dad smiled. “She’s a smart woman, son.” 

  


When we were done eating, we walked over to the furniture store and wandered around the store. I selected a loveseat and two side tables, determining that we really didn’t have much more room than that on our balcony. It was long, almost the length of the living room and kitchen combined, but it was narrow. That would do for now; unless Bella had something else she wanted. 

  


Dad walked me out to the SUV, helping with the furniture. He hugged me, thanking me for lunch – even though he had paid – and then left. Dad wasn’t for long speeches or anything like that. I was just happy he had listened to me and that he really heard what I needed him to. I hoped it would help in the long run. 

  


Dad had helped me load the furniture into the SUV, but it wasn’t until I got to the apartment that I realized it would be fairly hard for me to carry it up three flights of stairs. I walked into the lobby, thankful that the property manager was on site. She said that a maintenance guy would be out to help me, and I thanked her profusely. I think she just liked me because I had paid a year up front. Regardless, I got help. 

  


Once it was all upstairs, I sat down and started to get it all built and ready for when Bella came home. It took surprisingly little time, so I decided to get dinner going. I had no idea how long they would be out, but I assumed that Alice would have her home before dinner. I knew that Bella loved Italian, so I decided on lasagna. Unfortunately, I had never made it before and I didn’t have a cookbook. So, I reached for my phone. 

  


“Hello, Edward! I was so happy that you two were able to come over last night. Bella is just lovely, dear,” my mother said, answering the phone in a rush of words. I had a feeling that Dad hasn’t said anything about our conversation, which was fine. I could tell Mom more later. 

  


“Hi, Mom. Listen, I need some help. I want to make lasagna for Bella tonight and I can’t find a cookbook.” 

  


“You have a phone, right? You know you can google recipes?” She laughed at me, and I honestly felt stupid for a moment. “I’m just teasing you, Edward. I can help you if you want.” 

  


“Sorry, Mom, I just wanted to make something special for her. I honestly forgot I could look up the recipe.” I sat down on the couch feeling like a complete moron. “I’m sorry I bothered you.” 

  


“No bother, honey. I think it’s sweet that you want to do something special for Bella.” 

  


“I gotta run to the store, Mom, so I'll talk to you later, ok?” 

  


“Ok, love you sweetie!” 

  


I looked up a recipe on lasagna and made a list of things I needed to get. Fortunately, I just needed a few things. I ran to my car and raced to the grocery store. I scanned through the aisles, getting everything on the list, including a couple of bottles of wine for later. 

  


The recipe was fairly easy, and I was able to get everything put together. I slid the lasagna into the oven. Bella still wasn’t home, so I decided to play my piano for a while. Closing my eyes, I let the music flow around me, getting lost in the sound. I broke out of my trance when Bella and Alice got home, carrying half the damn mall with them. It made me laugh, thinking that anything less than would have been against everything I knew of my sister. 

  


Being with Bella, living with her as I was, just made me happy. And, honestly, I was hard almost all the time. The fact was that she was just so beautiful to me – inside and out. Everything about her made me happy and turned me on. When I took her against the wall, it felt like my blood was boiling under my skin. I just wanted her so much all the time. 

  


After making her a drink – or, really, just grabbing her a beer – we went back outside. The night was chilly, so we snuggled up close to each other. 

  


“I love you, Bella,” I said, kissing her head. She was leaning against me and my arms were around her, holding her tight. 

  


“I love you, too, Edward. I never imagined that my life would be like this.” 

  


“It’s just happiness all the time, isn’t it?” 

  


“Yeah, I keep thinking something bad will happen, but...” she shifted so she was facing me, kissing me softly. “Then you jump in the shower, or fuck me against a wall and I remember that this is just how life is for me right now.” 

  


I blushed a little. “I am sorry about that. I should have at least gotten you to the bed.” 

  


She laughed, throwing her head back a little. “Feel free to fuck me against the wall whenever you want.” 

  


My arms tightened around her. “Oh, you like it rough, do you?” I kissed her again, bringing my tongue in her mouth. “I’ll have to remember that.” 

  


“Please do. But if you forget, I'll remind you.” She smirked at me, kissing me lightly again. Shifting, she turned around again, pressing her back against me. “I just love this view. Great job on the apartment.” 

  


“Oh, sure, now you love it.” I laughed, and she joined me. 

  


“You did good, ok? And I’m sorry I got upset about it.” 

  


“No, you were right. I should have talked to you about it first.” I sighed. “I just wanted this with you so damn bad I didn’t think.” 

  


“I know, and that’s ok, really. I love this place. It's absolutely perfect.” 

  


“Does that mean I’m not in trouble any longer?” She laughed again. 

  


“You never were, silly man. I love you too much.” 

  


“Hmm,” I hummed, kissing her head again. “I wonder what else I could get away with?” 

  


“Oh, no. Don’t you start down that path!” 

  


I shifted my hands, tickling her sides. She shrieked in laughter, twisting while trying to get away from my hands. 

  


“No, Edward! Stop!” she laughed, grabbing my hands. She turned again, shifting toward the other side of the loveseat. I leaned toward her, smirking, continuing to tickle her. Her laugh continued as she wiggled out of my grasp. 

  


She stood up, running inside; I followed, continuing to tickle her until she ducked in the kitchen. “Edward, the door! You need to lock the door before we go to bed.” 

  


I paused, still smiling. “I guess I'll stop then. But now that I know I can’t get in trouble...” I let the sentence hang as I closed up the apartment. I made sure all the doors were locked before making my way into the bedroom. Bella was brushing her teeth in the bathroom, so I joined her. She smiled at me in the mirror as I started to brush my own teeth. She finished before me and started to wash her face. When I was done, I started walking to the bed, taking off all my clothes. 

  


I was about to sit on the bed, when I realized that Bella was still in the bathroom. I could definitely use that. I hurried back into the bathroom just as Bella was putting lotion or something on her face. My arms circled around her, and I brought my lips to her neck. One hand slipped under her shirt, caressing her bare breast, while the other hand went lower, dipping into her sweats. Bella’s eyes met mine in the mirror, and they were on fire. Her mouth opened slightly as my finger started circling her clit. Her head fell back slightly, resting on my chest. 

  


“Oh god...” Her breath was coming out in bursts. 

  


My fingers continued to circle her clit, while my other hand caressed her breast, bringing her nipple to a peak. I fused my lips to her neck, licking and sucking from her shoulder to her ear, nibbling on her ear lobe. I felt her getting wetter with every touch, and I was starting to push against her butt in order to relieve the pressure on my straining dick. 

  


I slid down her sweats so that I could get easier access to her, she kicked out of them still leaning against me. I continued to move my fingers as her breathing got more ragged. Too soon for my liking, she came around me, her legs almost collapsing underneath her. I picked her up and carried her to the bed, setting her down and settling between her legs. 

  


“What brought that on?” she asked, her fingers lightly scratching the back of my neck while her legs wound around me. 

  


I smirked at her, lining myself up and sliding in her very slowly. “I wanted you to see what I see when you come. How amazing you look.” 

  


She moaned and her fingers tightened on my neck. “You are insatiable, Edward. We just had sex a couple hours ago.” 

  


I brought my mouth to hers, before kissing her slowly down her neck. I wasn’t sure what fascinated me so much with her neck, but when I was inside her, I loved to have my lips or tongue there. “I will always want you this way. It's like being in heaven while I'm inside you.” 

  


“God, Edward,” she moaned, her eyes closing as she arched into me. “Faster, please.” 

  


“Not this time, love. I want to enjoy you for a while. I don’t want to leave heaven yet.” I brought my lips back to hers as I continued my slow pace. 

  


I don’t know how long I was inside her, but honestly it would never feel long enough. I continued to go slow, almost inching my way in and out of her, until finally her need and mine got too great. Then I sped up, my lips fused to her neck, and I felt her tightening around me. 

  


“Come for me, baby. Let me hear you,” I whispered into her neck. 

  


Her moaning got louder, and when I felt her clench around me, she screamed. And it was my favorite sound in the whole world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was a short one, but I really think the interaction with him and his Dad was needed. It helps in the long run, you know? 
> 
> Anyway, as I said, only two chapters left. Will post again soon! 
> 
> Don’t forget to check out my vamp fic, Twist of Fate! It’s winding down also, and should be finishing in the next couple weeks (2 chapters and an epilogue are left). 
> 
> Thanks to zombified419, my soul sister! I couldn’t do this story without you, my friend!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting so darn close! Only one chapter left to go. I just finished it, so my beta is working on it now. My goal is to post it and finish this little story before the end of the year. Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing! More at the bottom.

Chapter 9 – EPOV 

  


On Sunday, I woke up with Bella half on top of me. Her hair was sort of in my face, and her arms were squeezing me tight; I loved every second of it. I had worn her out yesterday, and I knew it. I couldn’t be upset about it, but I was concerned that she would be sore this morning. Not only had I taken her against the wall yesterday, but I'd spent an hour inside her after that. I would have to be careful today until I knew if she was feeling alright. 

  


Bella started to stir slowly, her hand running up my chest softly. It went from my stomach all the way up to my cheek. She turned my head slightly, and I stared into her chocolate eyes. My hand rubbed on her back as we just stared at each other for a moment. 

  


“Good morning, love.” 

  


“Morning, Edward,” she said, yawning hugely. “So, yesterday was fun.” She smirked at me. 

  


“Oh you and Alice had a good time?” I joked, knowing that’s not what she was talking about. 

  


“Actually, yes, we did. You know Alice and her nickname thing?” I nodded. “She nicknamed Jake ‘the asshole.’ She said that was the only name that he was worthy of, or something like that.” She laughed and I joined her. 

  


I hugged her tighter and she dropped her head back to my chest. I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the remote for the curtains. As they began to open, more and more of the amazing view we had was revealed. 

  


“I’m so tired this morning. I just want to stay in bed all day.” Bella sat up slightly, leaning against the headboard. 

  


“I can do that. We can stay in bed all day long if you want to, baby.” I leaned over and kissed her slightly, rising off the bed. “But I was told that someone always requires coffee in the morning. I'll be right back.” She smiled at me as I left the room. 

  


I’d had some forethought yesterday and made the coffee when I was making the lasagna. I set the timer on the coffee maker, and blissfully we had woken up after it was already done. I quickly grabbed her creamer and then filled her cup before creating mine. Then I walked back in the bedroom to find Bella standing, naked, in front of the window. I set the cups down and walked over to her, putting my arms around her. 

  


“God, Bella, you look so beautiful standing in front of this amazing view naked. I could look at you all day.” I kissed her neck and shoulder lightly, willing my dick to stop getting hard. Bella leaned back against me and felt how aroused I was. 

  


“This is really it, isn’t it?” she said, almost musing out loud. 

  


“What’s it, baby?” 

  


“My new life. This is how my new life is going to be.” 

  


I tightened my arms around her, not even caring if she could feel me poking her back. “Bella, I want to make every day like this. Every day for the rest of our lives. So, yes, this is how your new life is going to be. That ok with you, baby?” 

  


She shifted in my arms and her wet eyes met mine. “It’s more than I ever thought possible for myself. I never, ever, thought I would wake up this happy every day and surrounded by so much beauty.” She brought her hand to my face. “You gave me so much more than I ever thought possible.” 

  


I leaned into her hand, kissing her palm. “This is what we went through hell to get to, Bella. I want to make you happy for the rest of our lives.” I leaned down and kissed her softly. “Are you sore, baby?” 

  


I leaned back and she smiled up at me, a tear escaping her eye. “No. I think I'm getting used to having all this sex.” 

  


I smirked at her. “Just one of the many things I want you to get used to.” Then I kissed her, pushing her slightly against our window. I glanced out, realizing that if I took her here, our neighbors would get a show. Hell, they already were. I leaned down, scooping her up. She laughed as I carried her back to the bed, depositing her in the middle before crawling up her and settling between her legs. “I think this is my happy place right here. I could happily stay between your legs for the rest of my life.” 

  


She smiled back at me, pulling me down so I could kiss her. And I stayed like that for some time, just enjoying the feel of her naked body touching mine, our tongues in battle. Eventually, I slid inside her slowly, relishing the feeling of once again being surrounded by perfection. 

  


We moved together slowly, tasting and enjoying each other. Just like before, though, I couldn’t stay going slow for too long. I brought her leg up, just as I had done the first time we’d made love, and I ground into her over and over. Her eyes rolled back as my finger got to her clit, circling it slowly as I continued rocking into her. She screamed as she came and I felt complete, surging into her. 

  


Resting my head on her forehead, I stared into her eyes that had finally opened. “I love you.” 

  


Her eyes were a little watery, as she replied, “I love you, too.” 

  


After that, we got up and decided to be productive for the day. Bella had joked with me about not being a contributing member of society, and honestly after the last week we’d had, I got it. I wanted her so much all the time that I was going to be her downfall. Needing to blow off some steam and try not to attack her again, I told Bella that I was going to head to the gym for a couple hours. She smiled and kissed me goodbye; no fighting about ‘what she would do’ or anything, just told me to have fun. 

  


When I got to the gym, I found a few of my buddies there. While I had ‘bar’ friends, I also had ‘gym’ friends. I nodded to them, setting my bag down. The gym I went to was fairly small; it was really just an office space in a strip mall. They had bathrooms to change into, with showers, but I hardly ever used them. 

  


I got to work on the leg press machine, hearing someone come up behind me. “Hey, Ed, haven’t seen you in a few weeks. You find another gym?” 

  


I glanced up at Riley, the owner of the gym. I shook my head at him. “Nah, I've just been really busy.” 

  


Riley sat down and started his own leg press, and we were silent for a bit. He and I had known each other for a few years, since I'd found his gym. But we weren’t really friends. I realized some time ago that Kate really had wanted her friends to be our friends, so I just didn’t have men that I could talk to outside of my dad or brother. 

  


“Probably won’t stay too long,” I said, trying to work into a conversation with him. 

  


“Wife keeping you on a leash, man?” Riley laughed. He was a confirmed bachelor, and probably would never be anything other than that. 

  


“Actually, I'm getting a divorce.” 

  


Rile laughed harder, his hand coming down on my shoulder. “Good for you, man. No offense, but that wife of yours is a bitch.” 

  


Riley only met Kate once, but that was enough. Kate had a distaste for anything that wasn’t ‘posh’ and she felt Riley’s gym was ratty – which were her words. She had been quite rude to Riley that one time I brought her, so she never came with me again. 

  


I joined his laughter. “Yeah, honestly, she really is. Got myself someone better, man. I want to get home to her.” 

  


“Wait, home to her? You move in with her already? Damn, Ed, haven’t I taught you anything about how amazing it is to be single?” 

  


“Riley, I hope you find what I have some day. She's the best thing that’s ever happened to me, seriously.” I continued for a few minutes longer, before moving over to the weights. Riley spotted me, and we were silent for a while as I continued to work out. 

  


“She pretty, man?” 

  


“Pretty is a rude word for Bella. She is so beautiful it hurts to look at her sometimes.” 

  


“Damn. Got it pretty hard, huh?” 

  


I grinned up at him. “She’s it. She's the last woman I'll ever love. Hell yeah, I got it bad.” 

  


“Well, I guess I'm happy for you. Got rid of the bitch and found yourself Aphrodite all at once. Good for you, Ed.” 

  


We continued through the rest of the workout quietly after that. A couple of the guys would ask about the divorce, overhearing what I had been telling Riley, but I kept the details minimal. I wasn’t really interested in diving in with people I didn’t really know that well. 

  


Sunday really seemed to fly by for me. Bella and I enjoyed some amazing soup for dinner, and I ate about half of the cookies she had made. She was nervous about Monday and going into the office, but I knew she would be fine. She'd worked with so many of the people in the office I was sure that she would fit right in and have no concerns. 

  


I couldn’t resist her that night; she had decided to shower before bed, and I had to join her. That ended with me pushing her against the wall and taking her again...and she definitely wasn’t complaining. Her nerves were on edge and I just wanted to help. Yeah, that was the only reason I started fucking her against the wall... 

  


I held her close to me that night, trying to comfort her and make her understand she had nothing to worry over. By the next morning, she did seem calmer. 

  


“I promise I won’t kiss you again until we are both home,” I said, laughing and remembering her comment from the night before. I leaned down and kissed her. She threw her arms around me, laughing and kissing me again, harder. 

  


I stayed behind for a few minutes, hoping that she would get there before I did. I wanted to make sure that I showed up at my normal time and nothing seemed amiss. As I stared around the apartment, I realized that while I loved it, I hated it when Bella wasn’t here. She was what made this place feel complete to me. It was going to be a rough day without her. 

  


I made my way to the office slowly; my commute having been cut by 90% by moving so close. I parked in the garage and made my way to my office holding my backpack and my coffee cup. I wanted to seek out Bella so I knew where she was sitting, but I didn’t think that was a good idea. Instead, I got to my office and started working. 

  


The volume of emails and voicemails was crazy. Bringing up my group chat in IM, I told my team to give me the day to get caught up, but to let me know if anything critical needed my attention first. One of them replied that it had been a super boring week. I chuckled, shifting back to my email. As I was trying to untangle the web of everything that happened since I'd been in the office, Marcus called me. 

  


“Hey, Edward. Welcome back. Listen, I have an account meeting this morning, so I don’t have long. But I wanted to remind you about the address forms.” 

  


“Oh, right, I remember. I can get those from HR right?” I looked up to see Bella heading into the conference room next to my office. I smiled and waved at her, she smiled back before turning and walking into the room. 

  


“Yeah, or you can just download them, Edward.” 

  


“Oh, right. I knew that.” I chuckled. “Still on vacation, apparently. Yeah, I'll get them to HR first thing, Marcus.” 

  


“Great, thanks. Sue would have kicked my ass if I didn’t remind you.” Marcus laughed for a moment. “Oh, Ed, do you need the benefit forms, too? You taking her off your insurance?” 

  


“I can’t yet. I need to figure out how that’s going to work with her attorney and everything. My attorney told me to hold off for now. Technically, I don’t have to remove her until the divorce is final anyway.” 

  


“Ah, right. Ok. Well, catch up on your mountain of emails, and we can chat when I get to the office later.” 

  


“Ok, thanks Marcus.” 

  


We hung up and I got up, wandering over to my door. I could see Bella through the window into the conference room. Even from this view – only seeing her back – she was beautiful. I couldn’t stand there and stare too long, so I went back to my computer until I heard the door open. I got up quickly, leaning against the door jam. The second I saw Rose I almost choked. I had forgotten to tell Bella and Rose! 

  


“Good morning, ladies. Bella, welcome to Seattle,” I said, trying to sound smooth. I was internally freaking out; I couldn’t believe how stupid I had been. I’d even reminded myself on Saturday to tell her, but I had forgotten. 

  


“Thanks, Edward. It’s nice to see you again.” She smiled at me, and my world righted itself again. 

  


Unfortunately, Rose had other ideas. She had reminded me that I was supposed to go to dinner at their house – though, I had told Emmett to let her down easily, apparently, he had just let her think I was coming. I saw Bella’s confusion, so I motioned to her that I would tell her later. I hoped she didn’t think that I and Rose had anything going. 

  


The day just didn’t get any better from there. I had filled out the address change forms and dropped them at HR, but all hell started to break loose in my office. Two of my employees were fighting over something stupid, and demanded that I helped them settle it. It was like being the father of two-year-old's fighting over a toy. 

  


I was able to calm their fight, but then I moved right into the next one. At least Bella had made me lunch that day, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get away. One problem after another, after another, until Marcus showed up in my office. His mouth was set in a firm line, and I was immediately nervous. 

  


“Oh god, what happened now? I swear, it’s been one thing after another today.” I laughed, but stopped when I noticed that Marcus hadn’t changed his face. “What is it?” 

  


“I need you to come with me please. There is another fire, and I need you to help me with it.” Marcus motioned for me to follow him. I knew I was about to miss a meeting, but given the look on his face, I didn’t even care. 

  


When we got to the conference room, I saw Sue – our HR Director – sitting waiting for us. I sat down cautiously, wracking my brain for what this could be. 

  


“Hi, Sue. How are you today?” I asked, trying not to gulp loudly. 

  


“I am well, Edward, thank you.” 

  


“What’s going on here?” I glanced between her and Marcus. 

  


“We are waiting for someone. We'll get started shortly.” 

  


What the hell did that mean? Who were we waiting for? I started to go through all of the petty bullshit that my team had told me this morning; did one of them do something bad enough that Marcus had to include HR? 

  


My brain was still flying when I heard the conference room door open. I looked up to see Bella walk in, and my face immediately tensed. Rose was only a few steps behind her, her face passive. Damn. What the hell had happened so fast that they all knew already? 

  


Through the meeting, I kept trying to catch Bella’s eyes, but she kept them firmly pointed down, unless speaking to someone directly. She was terrified, I could see it. And I hated myself for what this was causing her. As a manager, I knew better. And dammit, they all knew that! I should have told Marcus, at a very minimum. The entire meeting, I was wracked with guilt. I had just completed the full manager training that had discussed personal relationships in the workplace. I was mentally kicking myself, even after I signed the contract and was allowed to leave. 

  


Marcus and I walked through the halls back to his office. I knew it wasn’t over for me, but I also knew that I would accept whatever punishment he doled out. My shoulders slumped the closer we got. Marcus had said that no one was getting fired, so I held on to that. He could demote me; I could lose my manager position and everything I'd worked for. But in the end of all of it, it was completely worth it to have Bella. And I'd do it all over, again and again just to get her. 

  


“Have a seat, Edward,” Marcus said, closing his office door behind me. “I really wish you had told me this. I know we haven't known each other too long, but I wouldn’t have spread it around the office or anything.” Marcus moved to sit behind his desk, and I sat down opposite him. “What the hell were you thinking?” 

  


I looked him directly in the eye. “I wasn’t, if I'm being honest. I fell for her hard; I ended my marriage because I was so in love with her. And so did she. I flew down to California to help her move. Marcus, I've never felt this way about anyone. I ended my marriage, she ended hers, and we couldn’t stand the thought of not being together.” 

  


Marcus sighed and leaned back in his chair. “And all rational thought goes out the window, Edward? That isn’t you – not the person that I sought out and convinced to work for me.” 

  


“I know, Marcus.” I was frustrated; with myself, with the situation...with the stress that I had caused Bella. “I understand the trust you put in me when you promoted me. I can’t apologize enough for not being honest with you. I swear to god that I never meant to hold anything important back. I simply wasn’t thinking.” 

  


Marcus sighed again and regarded me with a hard look. “I have to file a reprimand, Edward. As a manager, having just recently finished the training program, you should have known better.” 

  


I nodded, feeling defeated. “I understand.” 

  


Marcus looked at his computer, clicking a few times on his mouse, presumably opening the documentation from HR. “I’m sorry about this, Edward. I really am. You know this means that you won’t be able to get promoted next year during our performance review period?” 

  


“Yes, I understand.” The training that I had been required to take had discussed this type of situation. Or, at least, something similar. If an employee had a reprimand, they were not eligible for a promotion during that review period. It made sense, logically. If you were reprimanded, why would you get promoted? “I will never do anything like this in the future, Marcus. I hope you believe me. I am grateful for the opportunity that you gave me, and I won’t let you down again.” 

  


Marcus looked away from his computer and focused his attention back to me. “I know what kind of worker you are, Edward. I’m putting in this document that I believe it was a one-time lapse in judgement on your part. If I thought any different, the conversation we are having would be much different.” He leaned forward a little. “Don’t keep me out of the loop. Part of my job here is to make sure that you are successful as a manager. If you are unsure, run it by me. Or Sue, for that matter. We will help you, ok?” 

  


“I promise. I swear it honestly never occurred to me.” 

  


He nodded at me, turning back to his computer. The rest of the meeting was spent mostly in silence. He finished the write up, printing it and having me sign it. By the time I left his office, I felt even worse – though, honestly grateful that neither of us had lost our jobs. 

  


I spent the rest of the day in my office with the door closed. My team emailed me, and I replied, but I kept my door shut the entire time. I couldn’t face anyone right now. The guilt at everything that had happened was starting to press in on me, and I couldn’t focus. I stared at the growing number of emails in my inbox, but I didn’t open most of them. I simply couldn’t face any real work right now, my mind feeling so scattered. 

  


I left the office a little after 5. I assumed Bella had already left, which was probably a good thing. I would have offered to give her a ride home, and I really couldn’t do that right now. Marcus came in right around 5, stopping me from leaving, and we chatted for a few minutes about an account. He was turning to leave when I stopped him. 

  


“Marcus, did I cause permanent harm to my job here?” I asked him, almost holding my breath. 

  


He stared at me for a moment. “I have been thinking about this situation, Edward, all afternoon. And while I disagree with what you did, I think I understand why you did it.” He sat back down across from me, having already closed my door again. “When I met my wife, I remember thinking...well, not a lot actually. The right woman sort of throws all rational thoughts out of your head. I will never condone you leaving your wife for Bella, but I do understand. If I had been in your situation and met my lovely wife while married to someone else, I would have done the exact same thing. 

  


“What I'm saying is that, no, you have not done permanent harm.” He grinned at me. “Just try thinking in the future, will you?” 

  


I grinned back at him. “I can’t promise anything with Bella, Marcus. She really does take all of my rational thought. But with work, I promise I won’t make any other stupid mistakes like that again.” 

  


Marcus laughed, standing up and walking over to the door. “We all make stupid mistakes, Edward. Next time, just tell me when it happens and we’ll figure it out together.” 

  


“I will, Marcus. Thank you.” 

  


He smirked at me. “Have a good night, Edward.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now we know Edward’s side of this whole situation. I will try and get the last chapter posted soon; I promise. 
> 
> And with that, and MUCH love to my amazing beta zombified419, I’ll just wish all of you a wonderful holiday season. More soon!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sad to end this story. I never planned on it being longer than one chapter, the first one of Inappropriate Love. But all of you (and my beta, of course!) convinced me to keep going. And then this story came out of it. I’m humbled by this, guys, as I really loved the journey. More at the bottom.

Chapter 10 

  


I sped home from the office; I had to get to Bella as quickly as I could. I had to make amends for messing everything up at work. Thankfully, our apartment was really close so I got there in record time, though I was later than I had anticipated. If I had been thinking clearly at all, I would have gotten flowers for her. I was so eager to get home to her that I really didn’t want to stop. 

  


When I got there, I rushed in, desperate to see her. I tossed my laptop bag on the ground and sped over to her, capturing her in my arms. I lifted her up, enjoying my arms around her, and set her on the counter in the kitchen. I just needed to feel her around me, as close as possible. 

  


I rested my forehead against hers. “God, Bella, I'm such an idiot. I can’t believe it never crossed my mind to tell them we were in a relationship.” I felt like an absolute moron. 

  


“Never crossed mine either, Edward.” Bella smiled at me; I could tell she wasn’t mad. 

  


“I should have known better, though, that’s the thing. I watched a manager be fired for that a few years ago. Although, he was sleeping with his assistant, so it was a different situation...” She kissed me, stopping my words, and I leaned into her enjoying her mouth on mine. There were always moments like this where I loved her with everything in me; and this was one of them. 

  


She leaned back, separating our lips. “Neither of us were fired, it really could have been so much worse right?” 

  


“Yeah, I know. But damn, when I was asked to go into the conference room and Sue was there...I was super nervous. And when she said we were waiting for someone and then you walked in? Damn, that shit was scary.” I laughed then kissed her again, needing to feel her. 

  


I pulled her even closer, realizing that I would never be as close as I wanted. I just wanted to crawl inside her, desperate for a further connection. She wound her legs around me, and I almost groaned. She was exactly where I needed her to be. I shifted a little so I could take her shirt off, not even bothering with trying to get us to the bedroom. When I saw her, all coherent thought left my body. 

  


“Holy shit,” I breathed, just taking her in. I had never seen her in anything so amazingly sexy. She was wearing a dark blue corset, pushing her breasts up. She was so enticing that she took my breath away. “Baby, please tell me you weren’t wearing that all day.” I thought back to the horrible day, and the image of her wearing that under her clothes almost killed me. 

  


“No, Edward. I put it on when I got home. I wasn’t sure how bad your day was after that meeting, so I wanted to...I don’t know, give you a treat I guess.” She laughed, tugging me a little closer. 

  


“Fuck.” I couldn’t hold myself back any longer. The urge to be inside her was so great that I slammed my mouth into hers. She started to tug on my suit jacket and shirt, and I shrugged them off unable to move my mouth away from hers. I wanted her so bad I was straining against my pants. She reached down and started to tug my undershirt off and I separated from her for only a moment to get it off. Every time I was with her in this way, I wondered what exact kind of moron Jake was, not wanting her all the time. 

  


Her hands were insistent on my pants, undoing them so they fell, pooling at my feet. I needed hers off also, so I wound my fingers around the hem and started pulling. I felt for underwear, but when I didn’t feel any I glanced down again, only to be shocked. The bra camisole that she had one was strapped to a type of garter belt with no underwear on. My mind almost exploded in sensation; the sight went immediately to my dick, which got impossibly harder at the image in front of me. 

  


“Holy shit.” I tried to keep my breathing the same, but I had honestly never seen anything so sexy in my life. 

  


“You keep saying that." Her eyes danced at me, but I could see the primal want behind them. 

  


“You are trying to kill me again, baby,” I said, taking in a deep breath. I fused my mouth back to hers, and pushed into her as hard and fast as I could. I just needed to be inside her, and I couldn’t wait or take it slow. “Fuck,” I said again, leaning my head against her shoulder. She felt even better than I had anticipated. I kissed her shoulder and neck, moving up to her ear. “I’ve been wanting to do this all day.” 

  


“God, me too,” she moaned, tightening her arms around me. 

  


Moving slow or cherishing her this time was not possible. There would be years to cherish her, and make love slowly. Right now was about being inside of her, hard and fast. I practically slammed into her with every movement. She moaned every time I pushed into her, and I could feel my release coming quickly. I brought my hand to her clit, wanting her to join me. I could tell she was close, the rush of the moment coming to a head. She arched into me, moving and moaning, coming apart in my arms. I couldn’t stop myself at that point, and I buried myself in her deep, pulsing as my release came as well. 

  


I whispered my love to her, and she replied in kind. We joked before I set out to the bedroom to change. When I was grabbing my sweats, I saw the ring box in the back of the drawer but I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time; hell, neither of us were free to get married regardless. But I knew it was there, and someday I would ask her to marry me. When the time was right. 

  


When I went back out to the kitchen, Bella was serving up reheated lasagna. We chatted about the day, and I assured her that I would be fine. I knew she would worry more about me than herself; that was just Bella’s way. It's part of why I loved her so damn much. She cared about others more than herself. The ringing of my cell phone interrupted our conversation. I glanced down to see it was my attorney finally calling. 

  


“Hey Aro.” 

  


“Hello, Edward. We finally found Kate; she wasn’t staying with her mother, so we weren’t sure. She showed back up at the condo this morning.” 

  


“That’s good news.” Finally; I was afraid they would never get her the divorce papers. 

  


“Well, we were finally able to serve her. I understand she was pretty pissed; yelled at my messenger, in fact.” Aro laughed a little. “It’s ok, though, he’s a professional. Once she signed, he left. He said she sounded even more mad; like she had wanted him to stick around so she could yell at him some more.” 

  


“Yeah?” Why did that not surprise me? I glanced at Bella, who had an unreadable expression on her face. I still hadn’t given her any insights into Kate’s behavior, so I was careful what I said while on the phone. 

  


“Anyway, Edward. I’ll let you know when she counters. I'm sure she will, based on what you’ve told me of her. I’ll call you when it happens and we can review it together, ok?” 

  


“Sure, that’s great. Thank you for calling.” 

  


“Have a good night, Edward,” Aro said, and then ended the call. 

  


I explained to Bella what the call was about, and honestly, she had seemed relieved. We had a relaxing evening together, and went to bed completely exhausted. I curled up next to her, enjoying her warmth. As was usual when I was in bed with Bella, I fell asleep fast. 

  


The next morning was similar to the previous; Bella made us both lunches, and kissed me goodbye when she left. It was raining – what a shock in Seattle! – so she decided to drive in. As I watched her leave, I thought again how great it would be if we could just drive in together. I squashed the thought; I knew we couldn’t do that yet. But someday it would happen. 

  


The day turned out to be fine. Marcus and I met a few times regarding a new account coming in, and he seemed normal. We had chatted enough the day before, so he chose not to raise the conversation at all. We kept it to work-related items. Around lunchtime, I grabbed the soup that Bella had packed for me and ran to the lunchroom to heat it up. I saw Bella sitting at a table talking to someone I only vaguely recognized. We smiled at each other, but I didn’t get any closer. I had to maintain my distance for now. 

  


That night when I got home neither of us attacked the other. Instead, we set about making dinner together and marveled at our new found blissful life. Everything was really falling into place. The write up at work, the fights with Kate...all of it seemed totally worth it to get here. This was exactly where I wanted to be. 

  


The rest of the week seemed to fly by. I desperately wanted to get to the weekend so that we could sleep in and make love whenever we wanted. Bella was happy through the week, and accepted when I asked if she would come to Rose and Emmett’s for dinner. She told me that Rose had already invited her, and I was surprised to say the least. Rose was very standoffish to new people, and had really hated Kate. But maybe that’s why Bella fit in so well? 

  


By Friday, I was eager to just forget work for two whole days and spend them wrapped around Bella. I left the office late – although, considering I was starting to leave it every day around the same time, I guess I couldn’t consider it late any longer. When I pulled into the parking garage, I saw her SUV, but the interior light was on. Intending to shut it off, I walked over to the driver’s side and saw Bella sitting in it. Her face was covered in shock. I knocked on the window and she looked up at me, before turning to gather her things and exiting the car. 

  


I was about to ask her if she was ok when I saw that she was on her cell. 

  


“Edward treats me so good, Daddy,” she said as she stepped into my arms. My heart soared to hear this and I hugged her tightly. She leaned back, staring into my eyes. “I’ve never been this happy in my life.” I smiled, kissing her forehead. She ended the call and brought me up to speed on the conversation, before I started to tug on her to go inside. The air outside was getting even colder as the sun set, and I didn't want her to be outside for too much longer. 

  


For the next several months, we happily went about our new life together. Jake was very soon out of the picture entirely, as the divorce went through without any problems. Kate had always been a live wire, and I knew for sure that there would be issues. When my attorney had called to tell me she was contesting, I put him on speaker so that Bella could hear also. 

  


“Edward, as we expected, Kate has contested some of the terms of the divorce,” Aro had said when I answered his call. 

  


“What does that mean, exactly?” Bella asked, curling up next to me. We were sitting on the couch, our movie paused. I glanced at her in concern. 

  


“It means that we need to discuss her counter and decide if we contest it, or if we accept the new terms.” 

  


“What does she want, Aro? I gave her the car and the condo, with no monthly payments other than the HOA/maintenance cost. I gave her half of our savings...what else could she possibly want?” 

  


“She’s asking for 50% of your inheritance, and a substantial amount in alimony each month. She’s also demanding that you pay the HOA fee each month.” 

  


I balled my hands into fists. Bella reached down and slowly eased my hand open, filling it with hers. “Aro, I'm not giving her any more of my inheritance. She's already gone through about the amount she’s asking for.” 

  


“She can’t get that, Edward. You had it before you got married. The HOA and the alimony costs would be difficult though.” 

  


I sighed and looked at Bella. Her face was passive, leaving the decision up to me. “Aro, the alimony and HOA is fine. I’ll agree to it as long as it’s a reasonable amount. I never required her to work while we were married, so I understand that would be harder to fight. But,” I took in a deep breath. “I refuse to give her any of my inheritance. None of that will go to her, period.” 

  


“I understand, Edward. That makes it easier. I will draw up the papers to counter approving the alimony and HOA fees; this kind of arrangement ends when she is married. Unless you want to provide other stipulations?” 

  


I sighed again, slipping my hand into Bella’s. She squeezed it, smiling up at me. “No, that’s fine.” 

  


After that, Kate became a mere blip in my life. Emmett helped me find an accountant to handle the payments, so that I wouldn’t have to do it myself. I didn’t want to see her name, let alone write it on a check or wire into her account. She tried to fight on the inheritance, but after a call with her attorney, Aro said that would be dropped. 

  


Bella and I went into summer blissfully happy. We went on vacation, my family joining us toward the tail end. I loved how Bella got along with all of them, slipping into my life with hardly any effort. I was grateful for her humor and caring nature, as that went a long way with my family. She made an effort to hang out with each of them, call them each week, send cards for birthdays...she was quickly becoming the backbone of my entire existence as a result. 

  


Summer also brought with it meeting Charlie for the first time. Bella and I had gone to pick him up from the airport, and while I was nervous, she was giddy. As soon as she saw him, she took off running, jumping into his arms. He blushed slightly, but put his arms around her as well. They stood there for a few minutes before Bella leaned back, kissing him on his cheek. I made my way over to them, but hovered in the background. 

  


“I’ve missed you, Daddy,” Bella said, sniffing a little. 

  


“Missed you, too, Bells. You need to come visit your old man more often.” His eyes shot to me, narrowing slightly. He turned a little, keeping his arm around Bella, sticking his other hand out to me. “Edward?” 

  


“Chief Swan?” I swallowed my nerves, holding out my hand to shake. He had a firm grasp, and his eyes cut into mine. 

  


“Thank you, son.” He smiled hesitantly at me. 

  


“I, um, for what?” I stammered. I really hadn’t expected him to say that. 

  


“For getting her away from Jake. For making her happy. For everything you’ve done for her.” 

  


I saw Bella about to protest, but I quickly stepped forward. “I just gave her a little incentive, sir. She was the one who made the choice to leave and find a new life. I'm just the lucky bastard she decided to have that new life with.” 

  


Charlie chuckled, picking up his bag. We started walking to the hourly parking and he kept his arm around Bella. “Well, I’m just glad that’s over now. That kid didn’t know what a good thing he had. He's lucky I didn’t kill him.” 

  


“Same,” I muttered. Charlie glanced at me, smirking, but I don’t think Bella had heard. 

  


The weekend with Charlie was great, honestly. He was a funny man, and enjoyed a lot of the same things I did. We had great conversations while getting to know each other. Every time we laughed, I saw Bella out of the corner of my eye just smiling. I knew that Jake hadn’t really tried to befriend almost anyone in her life, but I thought he and Charlie had gotten along. After that weekend with him, I couldn’t see anyone disliking the man. 

  


As Bella had suggested, I took Charlie out fishing the day before he had to leave. Out on the water, I realized that Charlie was even more amazing than I'd originally thought. He was quiet and contemplative, but always had a smartass thing to say to just about everything. I could see where Bella got her personality from. 

  


“So, Charlie,” I started, reeling in some seaweed just to toss it overboard. “Tell me about your conversation with Jake.” 

  


Charlie turned to face me, laughing. “Bells tell you about that, huh? Not much to tell. Just gave him a lesson on the law. He was good after that.” 

  


I laughed with him for a moment before I sobered. Bella knew that I was going to have this conversation with him, and she had given me her blessing. I just wanted to make sure that I said it correctly. 

  


“It wasn’t just the fact that he hit her, Charlie.” I swallowed. He needed to know. Charlie shifted fully to face me; concern written on his face. “He verbally abused her for years. She still has meltdowns some days.” 

  


“What do you mean?” 

  


“He called her names, yelled at her for the smallest things, and made her feel like everything she did was wrong.” I told him about the story of the coffee mugs and how she reacted. His eyes grew wide as he listened. 

  


“Those are all the actions of an abuse victim.” Charlie swore, removing his fishing hat. “I knew that jackass was no good, but I never knew he treated her like that. Dammit, why didn’t she tell me?” 

  


I shifted to face him, too, my fishing pole forgotten. “She didn’t even admit it was happening to herself. When she got to me finally, I was able to convince her of what he had really been. She's been seeing a counselor for a few months now.” 

  


Charlie closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his eyes were teary. “I keep having to thank you for helping her, Edward. Thank you for keeping her safe, and for getting her into counseling. It was the best thing you could have done.” 

  


“I love her, Charlie. I want her to be happy, and until she puts the past behind her she won’t be. I even go with her sometimes.” 

  


“Why are you telling me all this and not her?” 

  


“She’s still a little embarrassed about it, I think. I offered to tell her from my point of view and let you know she’s been seeing someone that’s helping her. She knows we are having this conversation.” 

  


“You really do love her, don’t you?” It came out as a question, but Charlie didn’t look like he was confused at all. I stared into his face, willing him to believe me. 

  


“More than I thought possible.” 

  


Our relationship had a turning point on the boat that day. Charlie and I grew close in our shared love of Bella and wanting her safe, and that conversation had proven to him that I really did just want what was best for her. After that, I counted him as one of my friends. He would call me after games that included our favorite teams, or just to chat about how things were going. Obviously, he called Bella more, but I was happy that he would call to talk to me as well. 

  


Bella’s mother...well, there’s really only one way to describe her: crazy. She is a whirlwind of activity and hecticness. It was honestly hard keeping up with her. She would change topics of conversation in the middle of a sentence, but somehow Bella seemed to keep up. Renee would forget everything, all the time, including why she stood up just moments before. I was honestly getting worried about her for a moment, but Bella assured me that’s just who she was. 

  


I got along with Phil all right. He was a nice man, but I hadn’t had much in common with him – other than the fact that he was closer in age to me than Renee. It didn’t seem to bother either of them, so why should it bother me? They seemed happy together. And though he was younger, he did seem to ground her out a little. I mostly chatted with him about baseball, since he seemed to be fairly singularly focused on that anyway. 

  


As we narrowed in on the Christmas party, we both decided that we were ready to let our relationship out to our coworkers. Bella was nervous, but I couldn’t stop smiling about it. No more hiding. Keeping everything bottled up hadn’t done either of us any favors in our previous lives, so it was not something I enjoyed doing. Rose had been great at keeping our secret, though she did tease us quite often outside of work. Her and Bella got along great; working together very seamlessly. It seemed that everything was working out. 

  


I kept waiting for something to come up. Something bad to break the bubble of happiness that I was in, but it never came. Every day was better than the one before. Bella and I were perfect for each other in every way. Even going to counseling had been great. We found someone who specialized in spousal abuse, and I went with her every other session. The counselor helped me in how to respond to her when she freaked out, and on the individual sessions helped Bella realize it wasn’t her fault, and how to adjust to her new life without the threat of emotional abuse. She saw the therapist weekly for almost a year, then felt comfortable in lessening the visits. 

  


I laid down on my bed every night thankful for her, even if it hadn’t been an appropriate start to a relationship. It had been the absolute best decision I had ever made in my life. Being with someone that made me feel consumed with love was all I would ever need in my life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I almost cried writing the final chapter. So sorry to see these two go. Which is why I am prepping my next story. Look out for something from me in the new year. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone reading and reviewing this story. I love each and every one of you! I hope that you enjoyed our journey together with this couple. 
> 
> The biggest thank you goes to my beautiful and amazing beta, zombified419. I wouldn’t be writing without her encouragement, and keeping my grammar in line. Thank you dear, I love you to death!! 
> 
> Happy new year friends! I hope next year is WAY better than this year was for everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> For some reason, I can’t seem to let this little story go. I just posted an outtake on Inappropriate Love, hopefully most of you found this story as a result. Please make sure to read that story if you haven’t already; then you can read this one. I promise it will make it even better. Plus, you may get spoilers in my comments if you haven’t read that first :) 
> 
> I got to thinking, after writing the outtake, that I really wanted to hear more from Edward in this situation. All of the trials that he went through to end his marriage were skimmed over, and I wanted to give you all pieces of what he went through. 
> 
> I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to do chapter for chapter, or if I’m going to do them all. But I will try. For now, expect a weekly posting (sooner as I finish the chapters, and get the beta’d) at a minimum. 
> 
> Also remember that I am still posting Twist of Fate, my Twilight vamp fic. I have completely written it out, just in the middle of editing. I post twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday). 
> 
> Thank you all for getting this far. I hope you enjoyed! Shout out to my Facebook friends on Cheatward’s Spot! Please go and hang out with them, they are awesome and fun – and have some amazing story recs!


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